The Sacramento Kings are coming off yet another frustrating season in which they failed to make the playoffs.
Hopes were high heading into the year, especially after the offseason acquisition of DeMar DeRozan to complement Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox.
However, the season took a sharp turn as the Kings parted ways with head coach Mike Brown in December and later traded Fox to the Spurs in a deal that brought Zach LaVine over from the Chicago Bulls.
Despite their revamped core, the Kings continued to struggle down the stretch, ultimately finishing ninth in the Western Conference and getting knocked out of the Play-In Tournament by the Dallas Mavericks.
The Kings now head into a pivotal offseason, where they could either begin a full rebuild or simply retool by parting ways with one of their key stars.
The latter seems more probable, as ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel recently reported that top star is unlikely to be with the team next season.
“It’s no secret the Sacramento Kings are aiming to land a mid-first-round draft pick,” Brett Siegel wrote. “As we reported earlier in June, the Kings have been actively exploring trade options for veteran star, and all signs still point to him not returning to Sacramento. Once again, the Miami Heat have emerged as a top potential landing spot for DeRozan. Notably, Miami holds the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft—exactly the range Sacramento is targeting ahead of draft night.”
It’s evident that the Kings are actively pursuing a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and dealing DeMar DeRozan appears to be their best path to securing one.
As Siegel noted, the Heat have been the primary team connected to DeRozan, but other franchises that miss out on a potential Kevin Durant trade could also turn their attention to the Kings’ veteran forward.
Given the circumstances, it seems likely that Sacramento will part ways with DeRozan this offseason in order to retool the roster around Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine as they look to bounce back next season.