Breaking News

Kings land DeRozan in sign-and-trade; Barnes, Duarte dealt away

Share
NBC Universal, Inc.

The Sacramento Kings announced Monday a sign-and-trade deal with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs to acquire six-time NBA All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive posted a video with DeRozan welcoming the NBA star to the Kings.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps first reported Saturday, citing sources.

To acquire DeRozan, the Kings sent veteran forward Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 draft pick swap to the Spurs, and forward Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash to the Bulls.

DeRozan will sign a three-year, $76 million contract with the Kings, TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported, citing sources. Per Haynes, the first two years of DeRozan's contract are fully guaranteed and total $59 million, while the third year is partially guaranteed.

Wojnarowski, however, cited sources in reporting DeRozan's three-year contract actually is worth $74 million.

The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported Saturday that DeRozan and the Kings were finalizing a contract agreement.

The Kings have pursued DeRozan for a while, and they sealed the deal Saturday after the team hosted the 34-year-old at Golden 1 Center. Haynes reported, citing sources, that Kings star De'Aaron Fox "played a pivotal role" in luring DeRozan to Sacramento.

Shortly after news of the sign-and-trade agreement broke, DeRozan entered G1C with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Monte McNair to watch Sacramento's California Classic game against the Chinese National Team. Naturally, Kings fans, who had just seen the reports about the deal, gave DeRozan a loud ovation as he took his courtside seat.

The Kings knew they needed to make a big splash this offseason after they lost in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament last season and missing the playoffs. That move came in the form of DeRozan, who averaged 24.0 points and a league-high 37.8 minutes played per game with the Bulls last season, and finished second to Warriors star Steph Curry in NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award voting.

DeRozan has averaged at least 20.1 points per game in each of his last 11 NBA seasons, and also played for the Spurs and Toronto Raptors.

DeRozan, who turns 35 next month, could give the Kings a starting lineup with him, forward Keegan Murray, guards Fox and Malik Monk, and center Domantas Sabonis.

While Monk, who officially re-signed earlier Saturday, thrived in a Sixth Man role, he indicated he'd like to start games. So, if coach Mike Brown goes in that direction, the Kings will have a formidable starting five that should be able to compete with just about any Western Conference team.

They'll do so without Barnes and Duarte, two players who helped them become a force again in the West.

Barnes, 32, joined the Kings in a February 2019 trade from the Dallas Mavericks and averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in five-plus seasons in Sacramento. He signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Kings before last season, and is owed $18 million next season and $19 million in 2025-26. Now he'll bring another veteran presence to a Spurs team that also added Chris Paul this offseason to mentor young phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Duarte, 27, spent one season with the Kings after being acquired from the Indiana Pacers in an offseason trade last year for two second-round picks. He played 59 games, with 11 starts, and averaged just 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Contact Us