DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls dribbles in an Eastern Conference play-in tournament game against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, April 17, 2024. /CFP
Free agent swingman DeMar DeRozan will join the Sacramento Kings on a three-year, $67 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal that involved multiple teams including the Kings, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, ESPN reported on Saturday.
The Kings will send Chris Duarte, two NBA Draft second-round picks and cash to the Bulls, as well as Harrison Barnes to the Spurs, according to ESPN.
DeRozan, who turns 35 in August, averaged 24 points and 5.3 assists per game for the Bulls in the 2023-24 season, but missed the Eastern Conference All-Star lineup. Though he rarely shot three-pointers, he remained one of the league's best isolation scorers and is a three-time All-NBA selection.
DeMar DeRozan (#11) of the Chicago Bulls drives toward the rim in a game against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, March 4, 2024. /CFP
DeRozan's incredible clutch scoring ability will be of great help for the Kings, who already have De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray. The team won 46 games in the 2023-24 regular season but failed to reach the playoffs after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in a Western Conference play-in tournament game.
Despite that ending, the Kings had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2006, both under coach Mike Brown, who has signed a three-year, $30 million extension until the 2026-27 campaign.
Barnes, 32, became the second veteran the Spurs added to their squad this offseason after acquiring Chris Paul to help push along the development of their unicorn Victor Wembanyama.
The Bulls, who assembled the trio of DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic in 2021, sent out DeRozan, the most productive of the three, for a relatively economical price, with analysts saying teams that are interested in the other two should take this deal into consideration.