DeMar DeRozan will suit up for his fourth NBA franchise this upcoming season, arriving with the Sacramento Kings from the Chicago Bulls.
DeRozan was not short of suitors, with the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Miami HEAT all wanting his services. So why the Kings? DeRozan gave details on this week’s episode of Podcast P with Paul George.
“I was just looking for an opportunity to win at a high level wherever that was going to be…[Sacramento] came about, and they were showing interest, like real interest,” DeRozan said. “So when I sat back and looked at it, and analyzed the team. Great players. Great coach. I just always remember the last couple of years of always seeing them light this damn beam and winning and all that.
“Philly definitely was an option. The Lakers were an option always. Clippers were an option. And the Heat was an option too. I’d say those teams, for sure, were real personal, legitimate options that I was considering.”
The Sacramento Kings acquired free agent guard DeMar DeRozan in a three-year, $74 million sign-and-trade deal.
Breaking down the deal, the Kings sent forward Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs.
Sources indicated that guard Chris Duarte, two second-round draft picks, and cash will also be sent to the Chicago Bulls. So the Bulls aren’t the victors in this deal or this summer, but when are they ever in free agency?
The Kings targeted DeRozan to join forces with All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, and promising young forward Keegan Murray, aiming to bolster their offensive firepower in the highly competitive Western Conference.
DeRozan, a six-time All-Star who will turn 35 next month, is coming off a solid three-year tenure with the Bulls, during which he made the All-Star team in his first two seasons and averaged 24 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this past season. He finished second to Stephen Curry in voting for the NBA’s 2024 Clutch Player of the Year Award.
DeRozan traveled to Sacramento on Saturday to meet with team officials and Kings coach Mike Brown, who recently signed an offseason contract extension. Brown has led the franchise to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2006.
A three-time All-NBA selection, DeRozan was the ninth pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors and has since played for the Raptors, Spurs, and Bulls over his 15 NBA seasons. He has averaged 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 1,110 NBA games throughout his career.
The post SOURCE SPORTS: DeMar DeRozan Details Why He Chose Kings Over Lakers, HEAT and More first appeared on The Source.
The post SOURCE SPORTS: DeMar DeRozan Details Why He Chose Kings Over Lakers, HEAT and More appeared first on The Source.