DeMar DeRozan speaks out on relationship with Zach LaVine and future with Sacramento Kings
DeMar DeRozan recently said he might have to reconsider his future with the Sacramento Kings if De’Aaron Fox was traded.
He doesn’t feel that way anymore.
DeRozan told The Sacramento Bee the Kings alleviated his concerns when they acquired friend and former teammate Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade that sent Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.
“For sure,” DeRozan said after scoring 33 points in a 116-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday at Target Center in Minneapolis. “It’s hard to come across an All-Star player, a dynamic player like a Zach LaVine. That would ease anybody’s mind, and the relationship I have with him makes it that much better.”
Those words brought a big smile to the face of Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who grabbed DeRozan as he left the locker room and asked: “Does this mean you’re not leaving?”
Sabonis said he was relieved to hear how DeRozan answered the question.
“Yeah, I’m happy,” Sabonis said. “We need him. He’s a great guy, talented on and off the court, so we’re just happy to have him.”
When the Fox trade was announced, DeRozan posted a photo of himself and LaVine on his Instagram story to the tune of Peaches and Herb’s “Reunited.” That moment will come Wednesday when LaVine makes his Kings debut against the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
How will LaVine fit into a lineup with Malik Monk, DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Sabonis?
“He fits perfect,” DeRozan said. “I’ve seen him mature and work so much, not just for himself but team-wise, and having success.”
DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, and LaVine, a two-time All-Star, spent three years together in Chicago from 2021-2024. The Bulls won 46 games to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference in 2021-22 before finishing ninth the past two seasons.
LaVine appeared in only 25 games last season before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right foot. He is in the midst of a resurgence this season, averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting career highs of 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range.
“My first year in Chicago, people forget how dominant we were,” DeRozan said. “We both were All-Stars. Those next two years there, we just were riddled with injuries. I know what he was dealing with mentally on the court, physically pushing through a lot of the injuries he had. He just wasn’t himself. This season, you see him being the dynamic force I knew him to be, and for us to be getting a talented individual like that is going to make everybody else’s job a lot easier.”
DeRozan went on to describe his relationship with LaVine.
“I’m trying to see how to put it,” DeRozan said. “He was staying in my house in Chicago. I let him borrow my house. I would say he’s one of my closest friends. He’s somebody I talk to, even when I left Chicago, at least once or twice a week. We always get together, so to me that’s a brother of mine. Our relationship is beyond basketball.”
DeRozan was then asked about the misconception that he and LaVine didn’t vibe well on or off the court.
“Yeah, I’ve never understood that,” DeRozan said. “That’s probably been one of the confusing things, a perception that I don’t know where it came from, but when it comes to me and Zach, me and him, our bond is bigger than basketball.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
