The Sacramento Kings have waived DeMar DeRozan, the team announced Monday, making the six-time All-Star one of the top free agents on the market.
DeRozan had a partial guarantee on his contract for next season, but he and Sacramento worked on his release to allow him to find a new home. Multiple contenders are expected to have interest in the veteran guard, including the leftover suitors that eventually strike out on their current pursuit of LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers, however, won't be one of them as they are not considered a potential landing spot for the Southern California native, multiple league sources told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
DeRozan was a cap casualty for a rebuilding Kings team that needed to trim money. Only $10 million of his $25.7 million contract for next season was guaranteed. If the Kings choose to stretch the $10 million remaining on the books over three seasons -- they have until the end of August to decide -- it will push them below both aprons.
thank you for every bucket, every big moment, and every time you represented Sacramento. wishing you all the best in your next chapter Deebo 👑💜 pic.twitter.com/0gDQHjMCxi
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 6, 2026
DeRozan, who turns 37 in August, continued as one of the most reliable scorers in the league in his 17th NBA season, averaging 18.4 points on nearly 50% shooting for the Kings. He also appeared in all but five games, continuing a career-long trend of availability. He has appeared in at least 70 games in each of the past five seasons.
The Kings acquired DeRozan in a trade with Chicago in the summer of 2024 and later paired him with former Bulls teammate Zach LaVine at the trade deadline in 2025.
DeRozan, who has made three All-NBA teams, is in the top 25 all time in career scoring and had 12 straight seasons of averaging at least 20 points.
ESPN's Anthony Slater contributed to this report.
