When trade season is around the corner in the NBA, the rumors start flying. Being that the Sacramento Kings are starting a rebuild and open for business, they’re involved in a lot of rumors. The most recent one has the Portland Trail Blazers interested in DeMar DeRozan.
The major problem with the Kings’ potential rebuild is their current payroll. They’re dealing with some surprisingly hefty contracts for Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and DeRozan. Sacramento is way over the salary cap and is just under the first penalty apron. They have no room to maneuver.
As it stands right now, both DeRozan and LaVine, assuming he doesn’t take his player option, are Kings until 2027. And Sabonis is on the roster until 2028. When their respective contracts are up, they become free agents. But the Kings would rather not wait that long for financial freedom.
Without getting these three massive contracts off their ledgers, Sacramento is stuck on how many moves they can make and how big those moves can be. They know they have to be patient, but dragging this rebuild out makes things worse. As such, the Kings need to find some trading partners.
DeMar DeRozan might move slightly north
Trade rumors have included the Bucks being interested in LaVine and the Warriors looking at Sabonis. The most recent rumor is that the Trail Blazers are considering making a move on DeRozan. If even one of those trades pans out, it would change everything for the Kings.
The Blazers are an interesting trade partner for Sacramento as they’re loaded with young stars but are short on veteran experience. With Damian Lillard out for the season, Jrue Holiday is the reigning veteran on the team. Adding someone like DeRozan could help focus the team and provide guidance.
For the Kings, there are more than a few defenders to look at on the Blazers. Forwards Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are both solid performers who are absolute menaces on the defensive end. Center Donovan Clingan is known for his elite-level rim protection. Any of those guys would be huge.
There are no guarantees as to what will or won’t happen in this situation. If the Blazers are serious about DeRozan, their front office will have its own ideas about how that trade will look. At the same time, they also know the Kings are in a “no reasonable offer referred” stage at this point.