Sacramento Kings waiving DeMar DeRozan. What’s next for the six-time All-Star?
DeMar DeRozan is finally free to pursue other opportunities following two tumultuous seasons with the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings are waiving DeRozan in a move that has been expected for weeks, sources told The Sacramento Bee on Monday, making the six-time All-Star an unrestricted free agent.
DeRozan, 36, could have a number of potential suitors as he enters his 18th season at No. 16 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,711 points. ESPN reported that multiple contenders are expected to have interest in DeRozan, including those that are rebuffed in their pursuit of LeBron James.
DeRozan had one year remaining on a three-year, $74 million contract, but the final year was only guaranteed for $10 million. The Kings will save at least $15.7 million after waiving DeRozan, which gets them under the first and second aprons.
The Kings can further reduce spending if they use the stretch provision to pay DeRozan over three years as general manager Scott Perry works to get Sacramento’s bloated payroll under the luxury tax. Sources told The Bee the Kings have until Aug. 31 to determine if they will use the stretch provision. They might be able to avoid that scenario if they make a trade that reduces their payroll by $7 million to $8 million.
DeRozan arrived in Sacramento in July 2024 as part of a sign-and-trade deal involving the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. He appeared in 154 games over two seasons with the Kings, averaging 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
DeRozan joined a team that featured De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk. That group led the Kings to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference in 2022-23, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons.
The addition of DeRozan was meant to solidify the Kings as playoff contenders following their play-in tournament loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2024, but nothing went as expected. The Kings went 40-42 in 2025-26 before losing a play-in game to the Dallas Mavericks. They bottomed out this season, going 22-60 to tie for the fourth-worst record in the NBA.
Along the way, coach Mike Brown was fired, De’Aaron Fox was traded and general manager Monte McNair was relieved of his duties after mutually agreeing to part ways with the organization.
DeRozan famously referred to his first season in Sacramento as a “s--- show,” but through it all he continued to carry himself as a consummate professional.
“There was just a lot of s--- going on internally we tried to fight through as players, and I can only imagine from a coaching staff,” DeRozan said of the 2024-25 season. “With so much changes from the front office, y’all know, there was a lot going on. It’s nobody’s fault. We all have issues internally with our jobs, and sometimes you have to learn how to pivot and maneuver through that. I think that’s just what it was. Just call it what it was. Last year, internally, was a s--- show.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 1:28 PM.
