DeMar DeRozan Waived by Kings — Free Agency Suitors Line Up
- Jul 10
- 4 min read
DeMar DeRozan is a free agent for the first time in years, and the NBA's contenders have taken notice. The Sacramento Kings officially waived the six-time All-Star on July 6, ending a two-year tenure that never quite matched expectations and turning one of the league's most reliable mid-range scorers loose on the open market at the height of free agency season.
The move was, by the franchise's own admission, about money rather than basketball. Kings general manager Scott Perry characterized the decision as a financial one, and the numbers back him up. DeRozan was entering the final season of a three-year, $76.7 million contract, with $25.7 million owed for 2026-27 but only $10 million of it guaranteed. For a rebuilding roster, that math made the veteran an obvious cap casualty.
Sacramento did not arrive at the decision hastily. The front office reportedly worked with DeRozan and his representatives to explore the trade market in the weeks after the season, hoping to route the 36-year-old to a preferred destination while getting something back. No workable deal materialized, and the waiver became the cleanest path forward for both sides.
The savings for Sacramento are substantial. If the Kings use the stretch provision to spread DeRozan's $10 million partial guarantee across the next three seasons, the maneuver would generate more than $22 million in cap savings for 2026-27 — meaningful flexibility for a franchise that has committed to a youth movement and needed to trim salary to accelerate it.
None of this reflects a decline in DeRozan's production. He appeared in 77 games in 2025-26, averaging 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 31.2 minutes per night — remarkable durability and output for a player in his late-career phase. The scoring touch, footwork and free-throw craft that made him an All-Star fixture remain intact.
The problem in Sacramento was fit, not form. The Kings tumbled out of contention and pivoted to a rebuild, and a veteran scorer on an eight-figure salary no longer aligned with the timeline. It is the familiar story of a good player on the wrong team at the wrong time — and it now makes DeRozan one of the most intriguing value additions available to any contender.
The buzz around his next destination began building almost immediately. League chatter has connected DeRozan to multiple playoff hopefuls in need of bench scoring and shot creation, and a return to the Chicago Bulls — where he authored two of his best statistical seasons — has been floated by rumor mills as an emotional and basketball fit.
One reported non-suitor stands out: the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite DeRozan's Southern California roots — the Compton native starred at USC before his NBA career — reports indicate the Lakers do not plan to pursue him, as their roster overhaul continues in other directions following a frantic start to the offseason.
For contenders, the appeal is obvious. DeRozan has scored more than 24,000 career points across stints with Toronto, San Antonio, Chicago and Sacramento, and he remains one of the league's premier closers in the mid-range game. On a minimum or mid-level deal, he represents exactly the kind of proven late-game shot-maker that playoff teams covet in June.
There are legitimate questions, of course. DeRozan turns 37 before opening night, his defensive limitations have been scrutinized throughout his career, and his game has never been built around the three-point volume that modern offenses demand. The team that signs him will need a clear plan for how his old-school scoring package fits a contending rotation.
But recent history suggests betting against DeRozan is unwise. He has reinvented himself at every stop, earned All-Star nods deep into his thirties, and consistently outperformed the aging curve that claims most high-usage scorers. A motivated DeRozan, joining a winner on a discount with something to prove, is a storyline the league has seen pay off before.
The Kings, meanwhile, move forward with cap relief and a clear direction, while one of the NBA's most respected veterans weighs the first true free-agency courtship of his mid-thirties. Wherever DeRozan lands, the signing will be one of the more consequential value moves of the summer — and it should not take long. Contending front offices rarely let proven 18-point scorers sit on the market in July.
The timing of the market matters, too. Most of the major free-agency money has already been committed — max extensions, sign-and-trades and mid-level deals were flying in the first week of July — which means DeRozan hits the market just as contenders are shifting from headline moves to roster-completing bargains. That dynamic tends to compress decision timelines: the handful of teams with a real role and real minutes to offer will want an answer before rivals can match the pitch.
His fit profile is more specific than a casual glance suggests. DeRozan is at his best with the ball in his hands against a tilted defense, which points toward second units that lack a primary creator, or closing lineups that need a foul-drawing option when the pace slows in the playoffs. Teams already loaded with high-usage guards would be paying for redundancy; teams with spacing and defensive infrastructure around him would be buying the exact skill they cannot generate internally.
However the courtship unfolds, the Sacramento chapter closes as a footnote rather than a defining stretch. Two seasons, steady individual production, and a franchise that changed direction underneath him — DeRozan leaves the Kings with his reputation intact and his value, arguably, higher than his salary for the first time in years. For the veteran and for whichever contender moves first, that is the rare separation that genuinely serves both sides.
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