Despite helping end the eight-game slide Saturday, DeMar DeRozan is hearing trade chatter -- this time with possibly returning to his native city Los Angeles.
The Sacramento Kings face uncertainty with how long they can keep DeMar DeRozan.
The veteran rose as a trade idea in the last week. But now Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Monday night that DeRozan is interested in the Los Angeles Clippers. Amick also drops the bombshell report before Sacramento takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"DeMar DeRozan, the 36-year-old who league sources say has some interest from the LA Clippers, has a partial guarantee on his deal for next season (approximately $10 million of his $25.7 million)," Amick wrote.
Meanwhile, Amick spoke with new general manager Scott Perry about the pending future of this Kings roster -- and if it involves moving vets like DeRozan to build around head coach Doug Christie.
"Look, the mission for Doug and the coaching staff and the players is that we’ve got to compete every night and we have to develop their identity. So whoever’s going to provide that for us on the court on a consistent basis needs to be playing. If that’s the young guys, then yes. If the veteran guys are providing that on a consistent basis, and pushing us forward, then OK," Perry told Amick.
DeRozan redeemed himself from a difficult Thursday night outing in Memphis -- scoring seven points in 15 minutes of action. And that came on a night he got announced as a starter. He delivered 17 points on Saturday night inside Ball Arena.
He's one of two notable older veterans past the age of 34 on the Kings alongside Russell Westbrook. The 37-year-old Westbrook became the lead scorer of Saturday against the Denver Nuggets -- dropping 15 of his 21 points during the fourth quarter of the 128-123 road win.
Sacramento snapped an eight-game slide in the process. Yet roster makeover questions remain.
If DeRozan gets moved, he'll return to his native home city. The Compton native rose to fame on the hardwood at Compton High before landing with USC in college. He ultimately left the Trojans in 2009 to test the league draft waters.
Many across the league believed DeRozan would play for the L.A. Lakers when he entered free agency in 2024, but instead signed with the Kings. The move still brought the former Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors small forward back to the Golden State.
Now it's looking like DeRozan is interested in playing south -- and closer to home per Amick's report. DeRozan, meanwhile, will aim to lead Sacramento to its fifth win of the young season.