It's important to state right off the bat that DeMar DeRozan is an incredible athlete. He's one of the best players to ever put on jersey for any squad. And his run in Toronto should be enough to get him a Hall of Fame berth.
That being said, his prime years are most certainly behind him and retirement is closing in. It's quite likely that his time on the Sacramento Kings will be his las NBA run.
For some reason, the NBA as a whole doesn't seem to want to acknowledge that. But the league's response to Sacramento's trade overtures pretty much says everything.
Shopping DeMar DeRozan around
After trading for him last offseason, the Kings spent the 2025 offseason trying to trade DeRozan away. His relatively pricey contract combined with the Kings' obsession with making room for DeMar DeRozan were likely driving factors.
The problem was that no one took them the Kings up on the offer. It seems surprising that no other teams wanted to consider bringing DeRozan on board but that is what appears to have happened.
It could have been that the asking price was too high or that teams were concerned about how many miles DeRozan has left. Whatever the reasons, no one wanted to trade for DeMar.
The Kings will have to ride this out
Unfortunately, the silence of the NBA on a DeMar DeRozan trade says more than anyone intended it to. DeMar still has some gas in the tank but no other team in the league sees a way he fits into their roster. He doesn't have the value he used to.
Including this season, DeRozan has two seasons left on his contract. Unless something drastic changes, the Kings will probably end up sticking with DeMar until that contract is done.
By that point, will be almost 38 years old and will have completed his 18th season in the NBA. It's hard to see another NBA franchise taking a chance on him, but there will likely be openings for him overseas. However it plays out, DeMar DeRozan deserves respect, regardless of what Drake thinks.