The Sacramento Kings have won the DeMar DeRozan sweepstakes, landing him on a sign-and-trade deal with the Chicago Bulls. According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings are parting with Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte, draft capital, and cash to acquire DeRozan in a deal, that also involves the San Antonio Spurs.
“The Sacramento Kings are acquiring free agent guard DeMar DeRozan via a three-year, $74 million sign-and-trade that includes moving forward Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs, sources told ESPN on Saturday.”
“The Kings are trading guard Chris Duarte, two second-round draft picks and cash to the Chicago Bulls as part of the deal too, sources said.”
Full Trade Details:
Kings Receive: DeMar DeRozan
Bulls Receive: Chris Duarte, two second-round picks, cash
Spurs Receive: Harrison Barnes, unprotected 2031 pick swap
This is quite the coup for the Kings. They didn’t have to give up much to acquire DeRozan and are signing him to a very reasonable three-year, $74 million deal. The 15-year NBA veteran now forms quite a formidable Big 3 with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
DeRozan is getting up there in age, as he is 34 years old, but did just average 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Bulls in 2023-24. The six-time All-Star also finished runner-up to Stephen Curry for Clutch Player of the Year and is a fine addition.
The Kings had arguably the best offense in the NBA in 2022-23 but took a step back in 2023-24. They had an offensive rating of 116.4 last season, which ranked just 13th in the NBA.
That drop-off was a big reason why the Kings failed to make the playoffs. They finished as the ninth seed in the West with a 46-36 record and were beaten 105-98 by the New Orleans Pelicans in the final Play-in game.
By acquiring DeRozan, the Kings are hoping to get back among the elites in the West. Will they? It is hard to say that for sure, with just how loaded the conference is, at the moment.
The Kings still have some issues on the defensive end and seem to be hoping that their offense can overwhelm the opposition on a nightly basis. They could potentially do that and with DeRozan teaming up with Fox, who won CPOY in 2023, you’d think they’d be great in late-game situations as well.
As for the Bulls. a full-blown rebuild has very much begun. Alex Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the offseason for Josh Giddey and now DeRozan has departed. They are also reportedly trying to trade away Zach LaVine, but have found that task to be quite difficult.
The Bulls did not want to take on salary in a deal involving DeRozan and that’s where the Spurs came into the picture. They are the landing spot for Harrison Barnes, who has two years and $37 million left on his deal. For taking on that contract, the Kings have sent the Spurs a 2031 unprotected pick swap as well.
Barnes averaged 12.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Kings last season. He is the second notable addition to the Spurs after they signed Chris Paul in free agency. Will these moves get them into the playoffs? I still have my doubts, but they should be a much better team than they were last season.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
