DeRozan gives a revealing one-word answer to why he picked the Kings that originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
DeMar DeRozan’s criteria for his free-agent destination last summer appears to have been quite simple.
In fact, the six-time NBA All-Star forward only had a one-word answer when asked why he chose the Kings after first landing in Sacramento.
“Winning.”
That was DeRozan’s direct response to Kings VP of player development Paul Johnson’s question about the Season 3 premiere episode of “The Run,” released on the team’s YouTube channel.
That says something about Sacramento considering how many options DeRozan had during NBA free agency.
Ultimately, the Kings — who ended a nearly two-decade playoff drought in 2023 — won for DeRozan’s services. The 15-year NBA veteran came to Sacramento in a sign-and-trade deal from the Chicago Bulls in July, receiving a three-year contract worth $76 million.
“The Run” also showed DeRozan’s training with new Kings teammate Domantas Sabonis at USC shortly after he signed.
“Sabonis, he wanted to come to LA and train with me,” DeRozan said. ‘We spent a whole week together.
“Just the dialogue, the work we put in – you’d think we’d played together for two years after just a week of training.”
So it appears a partnership with Sabonis has also lured DeRozan to Sacramento.
However, as DeRozan revealed last month, he had to wait for Paul George to determine his own playing fate before making a decision. George, of course, went to the Philadelphia 76ers. That cleared the way for DeRozan to choose the Kings over other contenders, including the 76ers, Miami Heat and both Los Angeles teams.
With the 2024-2025 NBA season about to begin, DeRozan’s dream of lighting up the beam is about to become a reality.
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