DeMar DeRozan choosing Sacramento as a free agent destination was one of the biggest moves of the NBA offseason. We can debate how much better it makes the Kings, particularly as a playoff team, but that overlooks the bigger story — a top free agent chose to go to Sacramento and said he did so to win. That is a huge win and turnaround for a franchise that just a few years back was setting records for consecutive years missing the playoffs.
DeRozan opened up about that process and why he chose Sacramento when speaking to Paul George on Podcast P (and gave George a hard time about having to wait until George made his decision before the market opened up).
“I was just looking for an opportunity to win at a high level wherever that was going to be… [Sacramento] came about, and they were showing interest, like real interest. So when I sat back and looked at it, and analyzed the team. Great players. Great coach. I just always remember the last couple of years of always seeing them light this damn beam and winning and all that.”
DeRozan added he was looking at other options.
“Philly definitely was an option. The Lakers were an option always. Clippers were an option. And the Heat was an option too. I’d say those teams, for sure, were real personal, legitimate options that I was considering.”
DeRozan has talked about wanting to come home and play in Los Angeles but logistically that was going to be difficult this summer with both the Lakers and Clippers expensive and into the luxury tax aprons. It would have required a sign-and-trade for either Los Angeles team to get him, and neither front office was willing to go there. Sacramento’s front office was.
DeRozan is making the media rounds talking about his new book “Above the Noise,” where he opens up further about his mental health struggles and career. He spoke with Sam Amick of The Athletic about the change around the NBA with mental health, how it’s become a much more open topic since he and others such as Kevin Love started talking about it publicly.
It wasn’t even a thing when I first came into the league. You had all your other necessities when it came to sports as far as weight training, nutritionists, film guys, workout guys. But that’s kind of where it stopped. You didn’t really have the personal infrastructure that was needed for certain players, especially young players.
That is changing, and it’s something lasting and meaningful within the NBA that DeRozan helped get rolling that will last far longer than his impressive accomplishments on the court.