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Latest Report on DeMar DeRozan's Trade Market for Kings
Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) before the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors continue their stand-off on the Jonathan Kuminga sign and trade talks, we continue to look at other options for the Kings as the offseason continues.

One of the most discussed trade ideas this offseason has been the Kings trading DeMar DeRozan to a contending team hoping to add another scorer. It felt like a forgone conclusion that the future Hall-of-Famer would put on a new jersey next season.

But as the offseason continues and more moves are announced, the latest reports are that that might not be the case, and that DeRozan could return to the Kings for a second season.

Forbes' Evan Sidery reported that the market for DeRozan is nearly nonexistent for Sacramento, noting that both parties are open to finding a deal to send DeRozan elsewhere.

DeRozan is an interesting player in this year's offseason trade market. He's a talented scorer, but plays such a distinct style, led by his mid-range jumpers, that requires a specific offensive system to be effective.

Last season, he averaged 22.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 47.7% shooting from the field and 32.8% from three. He also seemed to put a focus on shooting more threes last season, taking 3.3 per contest.

That may not seem like a lot, but it's the second most he's taken over a season, and the most he's attempted since he shot 3.6 per game in the 2017-18 season. It should also be noted that attempted 3.9 per contest after Doug Christie took over as head coach.

What we did see a lot of from DeRozan was his patented mid-range game. He led the league, once again, in mid-range field goal attempts last season with 8.3 per game. Coming in a distant second place was Brandon Ingram with 5.6 attempts per contest.

There's no denying that DeRozan can still go to work in the mid-range, but it just felt like the Kings were struggling to keep up with teams last season, even when they were hitting their shots. That could be part of what is making DeRozan difficult to trade for the Kings.

DeRozan's contract is also an interesting one in terms of trade value. He's under contract for $24.8 million next season, and $25.7 the following. Only $10 million of that 2026-27 year is guaranteed though.

And that may not be as attractive of a contract that we all thought before the offseason started. Initially, DeRozan's contract looked great. $24.8 million is a pretty solid price for a sure-fire 20 point scorer, but in today's NBA market, teams are reluctant as ever to bring on more money.

And while teams could save money next offseason by opting out of the second year of the contract, they would still have to pay $10 million to do so. That's not as appealing as an expiring contract where every cent falls off after this season.

With the way this offseason is playing out so far, the Kings' roster could look more similar to last season than we all thought. If there's one thing that's certain, though, it's that no matter where DeRozan is, he'll likely still be putting up 20+ every night.


This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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