The Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls have been actively involved in trade discussions this offseason. The Bulls are trying anything to get back on a competitive path after missing the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Meanwhile, the Kings are already close, but missing the playoffs last year showed there’s still plenty of room for growth.
We’ve already seen both teams execute trades of some significance this summer. The Kings sent Davion Mitchell , the ninth pick in 2021, to the Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, the Bulls swapped fan favorite Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey , who may still have All-Star potential.
But each team has more work to do. The Bulls have actively been trying to trade Zach LaVine too, but they’ve yet to find a taker for the two-time All-Star, largely due to being limited to just 25 games last season. His bloated contract doesn’t help, with LaVine set to enter the third season of a five-year, $215 million contract.
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Sacramento Kings pursuing DeMar DeRozan trade with Chicago Bulls
The Bulls also have DeMar DeRozan’s contract situation to deal with. As is, it sounds like the six-time All-Star won’t be returning to Chicago for a fourth season. He’s 34, it’s time to win a ring.
While the three-time All-NBA swingman is a free agent, the Kings may not have enough cap space to sign DeRozan to the contract he’s worth. However, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, the two teams are deep in talks to send DeRozan to Sacramento via sign-and-trade.
According to Woj, the trade could happen within the next 24-48 hours. What may be complicating matters is the fact that the Bulls are looking to keep their cap sheet clean and do not want to take back bloated contracts either. This has the two sides trying to find a third team willing to eat some salaries, which could include any team that believes they’re at least a season or two away from competing.
DeRozan is what he is at this stage: a good scorer who prefers to do his damage in the mid-range. Yet, he’s become very efficient within the perimeter and still managed to average 25.5 points per game during his three-year Bulls tenure.
He’d be a welcome addition to many locker rooms, and for the Compton native, getting a chance to play in his home state for the first time in his NBA career could be more appealing. For the Kings, they get a star talent who’s focused on winning a championship. We’ll see if a trade gets completed soon.
Related: NBA insider reveals DeMar DeRozan’s asking price for Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers
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