DeMar DeRozan joined the Sacramento Kings later in the 2024 NBA offseason, add another dangerous scorer He joined one of the league’s best offenses over the past two seasons. After being linked to a handful of playoff teams as his contract with the Chicago Bulls expired, he decided to join Team Beam.
It seemed pretty clear that DeRozan’s time with the Bulls was over after he became a free agent and Chicago went on a semi-rebuilding path centered on young players. But where he would go from there remained unclear for a while. His game doesn’t seem versatile enough to take on a role other than top scorer/ball-handler, but he’s still very good. He was hoping to join a team that could give him a winning situation.
During an appearance on Podcast P presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, DeRozan spoke to Paul George about why he wanted to join the Kings and revealed some other destinations he was considering: the The Philadelphia 76ers, The Los Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat.
“Those teams were certainly real, legitimate personal options that I was considering,” DeRozan said of the four teams he named.
DeMar DeRozan considered 76ers, Lakers before joining Kings
The 76ers signed George, perhaps the biggest move of the offseason. DeRozan would have been an awkward fit with Joel Embiid, another player who often plays in the midfield, even though they play different positions. George fits better with the Sixers and their vision of building around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as their primary options.
The Lakers didn’t make any major roster changes this summer. The additions of rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James and the arrival of a new head coach, JJ Redick, were the most significant moves they made. likely to close deal for DeRozan for a while, but they eventually let him go to one of their rivals.
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The Clippers may have been the smartest choice for DeRozan initially: One star forward from LA leaves and another takes his place. But they ended up adding more role players around what is now a star duo of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
The Heat were the least interesting team for DeRozan, an older player who doesn’t shoot three-pointers or defend at a high level. He would have been too much of a challenger in terms of style and position with Jimmy Butler, whose lack of interest in three-pointers forces the guys around him and Bam Adebayo to know how to shoot.
In the end, the Californian went home and George left for another team. DeRozan’s fit with the Kings isn’t perfect, but he should help them put more emphasis on defense and perform better when De’Aaron Fox and/or Domantas Sabonis are resting.