Which former teammate dished out a wish to the Sacramento Kings involving DeMar DeRozan?
DeMar DeRozan willed the Sacramento Kings back from 18-down, nearly pulling off the comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The veteran guard hit a crucial turnaround jumper that sailed 14 feet, tying the game at 115-all.
But before Thursday night's shootout at the Moda Center, one former DeRozan teammate offered up a wish directed toward the Kings -- more so general manager Scott Perry.
Lou Williams used his platform on the Run it Back podcast to fire off what he hopes to see out of his friend.
"I want my friend to be moved, be with a contender and go out the door with a smile on his face," Williams shared.
Williams then dove further on why he wants that hope for DeRozan.
"When I was in Toronto, I thought my career was over," Williams said.
However, he credited DeRozan for helping him find his love for basketball again. He cites DeRozan for helping "extend my career for another seven years."
He's hoping for Perry and the Kings to make a deal -- even putting aside his analyst hat to view DeRozan's situation.
"I'm looking at this as a friend," Williams said to the panelists.
DeRozan certainly won over lots of fans on Thursday -- even on the side of the Blazers.
"I gotta give a lot of props to Demar DeRozan. Absolutely carried his team to the very end, and I haven’t seen back to back to back clutch shots like that in a long time. Sadly couldn’t pull through in the end though. Vintage Demar showed up tonight," the fan account known as Blazer Enthusiast posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
DeRozan became largely responsible for the epic 17-2 run that forced overtime. The 35-year-old even dropped 11 points in a span of just one minute. He added four rebounds and three assists in the narrow overtime loss.
It's the second time since Nov. 24 that DeRozan dropped 33 on an opponent. He's averaging 17.7 points per game.
Still, the final sight of DeRozan was one in disbelief.
Williams wasn't the only one who hoped DeRozan leaves the Kings. One more fan sent out the request.
"Can a contender please just somehow steal DeMar DeRozan for cheap? Would be fun. Dude went bonkers today. Always leaves it all on the floor," the fan posted.
DeRozan's Kings dropped to 3-13 in road games and are now 6-21 overall. He's heard trade chatter with Sacramento willing to hear offers. Count his former Raptors teammate Williams as one who wants to see DeRozan avoid ending his career in frustration.