The 2025 NBA offseason has already started for almost every team, except for the select few who have done what many cannot in the playoffs, and the rumor mill has already started moving.
It did not take long for trade rumors to start for the Sacramento Kings, and it came as no surprise that six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan was the headline.
After losing in the play-in tournament to the Dallas Mavericks, DeRozan made it clear that his future as a King was very cloudy.
“For me, you don’t have many opportunities left to give yourself a chance to compete in the playoffs. That’s all you kind of want at this stage of your career,” DeRozan said. “…I’m not trying to play another five, six years. You’ve only got so many years. That window closes quick… You always want a foundation that’s stable and understood going forward. I’m pretty sure a lot of decisions have got to be made from top to bottom.”
DeMar DeRozan spoke on the Kings’ loss, his NBA clock ticking and a crazy year in Sacramento: pic.twitter.com/JO7Nm4JUYY
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) April 17, 2025
DeRozan, 35, actually had a productive debut season with the Kings, averaging 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game with 47.7/32.8/85.7 shooting splits, but the year certainly did not go as he expected. The Kings fired head coach Mike Brown and traded away De’Aaron Fox, who were both likely big selling points for DeRozan when he chose Sacramento.
Now, as they head into the offseason, DeRozan’s future with the team is as uncertain as ever. A new report from NBA insider Jake Fischer reveals that the Kings are expected to gauge the trade market for DeRozan.
“”The focus in the California capital shifts now to what sort of dealing we could see from the Kings’ new regime,” Fischer wrote on The Stein Line. “There has been no shortage of rumbles, since the hiring of Scott Perry as general manager, that Sacramento is expected to gauge the trade market for veteran swingman DeMar DeRozan.”
The Sacramento Kings are expected to explore potential trade options involving DeMar DeRozan, per @JakeLFischer
“The focus in the California capital shifts now to what sort of dealing we could see from the Kings’ new regime. There has been no shortage of rumbles, since the… pic.twitter.com/RgkcX0bwc4
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 13, 2025
Many fans had strong feelings about this new report, as some thought it was not worth it to trade DeRozan at this point, while others would be happy to see him gone this summer.
“Potentially Moving one of your best players for a bag of chips is such a dumb move…we’re better off keeping him,” a fan replied.
“His contract sucks,” another fan said. “The Kings would probably have to attach picks to get rid of him.”
“Nobody’s trading for DeRozan lol,” a fan said.
“Good,” another fan commented. “Happy we had him but at this point we need to move on.”
“Wasted a year in Sac when he could’ve joined a serious team,” one fan replied. “This one is on him tbh.”
DeRozan’s trade value is likely at an all-time low, but he has shown plenty of times how productive and efficient he can be, even at his age. The six-time All-Star will likely need to embrace a new role as a sixth man or tertiary option, but at his $25 million per year price tag, it is not worth it for many teams.
