Sacramento Kings complete sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan

The Kings have made a big move! According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sacramento Kings are trading Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte and pick considerations in a three-way deal that lands six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA guard DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento for three years and $74 million. Barnes and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick swap go to San Antonio, while Chris Duarte and two future second-round picks are sent back to Chicago.

DeRozan’s signing should be considered one of the most significant free agent signings in team history. Although he’s still a bit over the hill at 34, DeRozan is still an incredibly productive player who averaged 24 points, 4.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals last season. He’s a huge addition to the starting lineup whether he’s deployed as a shooting guard or small forward, and his ability to break down defenses and draw fouls (7.7 free throw attempts per game – which would have led the Kings last year) should open up the court for Sacramento’s shooters, as should Fox and Monk’s lane penetration and Sabonis’ high-post dribble handoffs. Perhaps even more impressive is that he accomplished these feats while averaging a league-best 37.8 minutes per game in his 79 appearances. Although he has played in 15 NBA seasons, there should be no concerns about injuries or durability.

And while he’s not exactly a threat from distance, having sunk just 33% of his 2.8 three-point attempts in the ’23-24 season, DeRozan isn’t necessarily damaging when it comes to clearing the court. Teams still have to respect his ability to both attack the zone off the dribble and pull up and hit the mid-range line (43% on a league-leading 6.9 attempts per game), meaning Sacramento’s offense shouldn’t be compromised even without Barnes’ reliable outside ball. His decisive play will also be a boon to Mike Brown’s late-game offense, as DeRozan scored 4.6 decisive points per game last season, which also led the league.

Defensively, DeRozan won’t solve any of Sacramento’s problems, but he probably won’t be much worse than Kevin Huerter or Harrison Barnes, either. And with Barnes out of the roster, there’s no doubt Monte McNair will have to pull off another trade or two. The roster is currently even more unbalanced than it was last season, as Sacramento now employs De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, Devin Carter, Keon Ellis and Kevin Huerter at the guard positions, with Keegan Murray remaining the only true wing player on the team. Given DeRozan’s hefty $24.6 million salary, the Kings will likely have to look to the market for cheaper options, which likely leaves Cam Johnson or Kyle Kuzma as potential primary targets, while bigger names like Lauri Markkanen, Brandon Ingram and Jerami Grant are or will likely be too expensive from a cap management perspective.

Fans have understandably doubted Monte McNair’s ability to pull off big deals after two seasons of considering so many big names and massive upgrades, but DeRozan’s signing is a real credit to the front office. The journey to balancing the roster and building a competitive, reasonable lineup is far from complete, and no “mission accomplished” signs should be hanging just yet, but with several tradeable contracts, multiple first-rounders, and the mid- and two-year exceptions still at their disposal, Monte McNair and Co. should be able to make some additional noise before training camp.