One of the best parts of a new season is getting to play against everyone you let go in the offseason. There's definitely going to be party when DeMar DeRozan gets to face his old buddies on the Sacramento Kings. And he's bringing his new best friend, Nikola Jokic, along for the fun.
DeRozan's run in Sacramento wasn't exactly mind-blowing, though it is hard to blame him for that. Sacramento brought him in as part of a three-team sign-and-trade deal in July 2024. He had missed the 'Beam Team Era' by a season but made it to Sactown just in time for everything that followed.
In December 2024, head coach Mike Brown was fired, then replaced by Doug Christie. This was followed by the departure of long-time starting point guard De'Aaron Fox in February 2025. If that's not enough, Monte McNair exited as general manager in April 2025 and was replaced by Scott Perry.
It was a tumultuous time to be a King, without question. A lot changed in short order leading into 2025-2026. Making things worse was the absurd number of injuries the roster dealt with last season. DeRozan was by no means perfect, but he was one of the few remotely consistent players they had.
DeRozan and the Kings faceoff this season
After 2025-2026 came to an end, the Kings waived DeRozan and stretched his contract across the next couple of seasons. This made DeRozan into an unrestricted free agent, giving him the opportunity to sign with the Nuggets. Playing alongside the Joker is a great opportunity for him.
The Kings will face the Nuggets three times this season, assuming the NBA Cup schedule doesn't add another game between the two teams. For now, all three meetings are in the new year with one happening in Denver and the other two going down at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
None of these games are expected to be tense at all. While DeRozan's brief run with the Kings was rough at best, there are no known hard feelings between him and the franchise at all. This isn't a Dario Saric situation. It just wasn't the right fit for the player or the team, and both have moved on.
If anything, Sactown fans should be at least somewhat happy to see DeRozan. The man never gave them anything less than his best, even if last season in particular was brutal. Hopefully, that's how Golden 1 Center feels and they give him a warm welcome when he steps on the court.
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