To get this rebuild running on all cylinders, the Sacramento Kings need to make big moves. The easiest big move to make will be buying DeMar DeRozan out this summer. And based on how he's been playing lately, the master of the mid-range seems like he's ready to move on.
There's no doubt that DeRozan is a talented player. His problem has been finding a team that will put him to good use, particularly since the Raptors shipped him off to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. After nearly a decade with the team, they dumped right before winning a title.
After that, the six-time All-Star spent three uneventful seasons on the Spurs, three even worse seasons on the Bulls, and is now in his second disgusting season on the Kings. The question is what he has done to deserve this level of basketball purgatory, and the answer is nothing.
DeRozan is a great player, one of the best mid-range shooters in the history of the league. He's an okay defender and should be banned from shooting threes altogether. But you give him the ball inside the arc, and the man will score. That's what's made the last several weeks so confusing.
DeMar DeRozan is making his feelings known without saying a word
Normally, DeRozan is a certified bucket when it comes to middies. These days, his efficiency has slipped dramatically, particularly since the trade deadline. Sure, he's on a terrible team that is actively moving on from him, but that doesn't explain why he's so off the mark all the time.
There's no doubt that he isn't happy in Sacramento. DeRozan has yet to win an NBA Championship, and he's in his 17th season. Time is not on his side. If the rebuild process for the Kings works, it will take years that DeMar certainly does not have in his career. He needs to get out of Sacramento now.
DeRozan has one year left on his contract, but only 40% of that year is guaranteed. That means the Kings could easily buy him out in the offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent. Given his current performance and the direction of the franchise, there's no reason the Kings wouldn't.
This isn't a suggestion that DeRozan is intentionally playing mediocrely to encourage the Kings to buy his contract out. That being said, his head is definitely not in the game. Regardless of how they get there, Sacramento and DeMar DeRozan need to part ways for the good of everyone involved.