DeRozan is a free agent again after Sacramento waived him, and the Clippers have been floated as a landing spot
DeMar DeRozan is a free agent again, and he did not have much choice in the matter.
The Sacramento Kings waived the six-time All-Star on Monday, closing the book on a two-year stretch that started with hope of contending and ended with a 22-60 season and a roster the Kings are tearing down.
DeRozan turns 37 in August, yet he still played 77 games last year and scored 18.4 points a night, proof his body has held up after his role in Sacramento ran out.
Only $10 million of his $25.7 million salary for next season was guaranteed, which made him an easy cut for a team trying to save money.
Because DeRozan grew up in Compton and has stayed close to Southern California, his name got connected to the Clippers right away.
That connection makes some sense on the surface.
DeRozan can still get a bucket whenever the offense breaks down, and his shooting improved last season, with a .497 mark from the field, his best since 2022-23.
The Clippers finished 42-40 and ninth in the Western Conference, then lost in the play-in to Golden State, so adding a scorer who can get to his spots sounds tempting.
Except Los Angeles spent the summer building toward a different answer, and DeRozan does not fit it.
What the Clippers Already Have
Los Angeles has already remade its wing and frontcourt twice over.
The trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto brought back Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, and Ingram steps right into the small forward spot Leonard filled after averaging 21.5 points and 5.6 rebounds last season.
Then the front office signed Rui Hachimura to play power forward. "Rui is an elite three-point shooter and an efficient mid-range scorer who uses his size to exploit mismatches," team president Lawrence Frank said. "He will strengthen our frontcourt with his one-on-one defense and ability to space the floor."
Add in the returning Jordan Miller, who locked up a three-year deal after a breakout year off the bench, and the wing rotation is already crowded before DeRozan enters the conversation.
A Different Plan
The two signings that define this offseason are Kobe Sanders and Miller, and neither one was about chasing a big name.
Sanders is back on a four-year, $11.2 million deal after averaging 7.3 points as a rookie, a front office betting on what he becomes rather than paying for what a bigger name offers today.
Miller earned his new deal off a strong bench role, and between those two signings and the Keaton Wagler pick at number five, the Clippers are building around their twenties instead of their thirties.
DeRozan would be walking into a crowded backcourt and forward group on a team that traded away its best player rather than one trying to win 45 games right away.
He also still rarely shoots threes, which does nothing for a Clippers offense that already needs more shooting around Darius Garland. The timing is off, and so is the fit.
