New DeMar DeRozan Trade Rumors Surface on Kings Star 'Hoping to Accelerate His Exit'

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan reportedly has his sights set on playing elsewhere during the 2026-27 NBA season.

According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, DeRozan "is hoping to accelerate his exit" from the Kings this offseason via a trade or getting waived "sooner rather than later."

DeRozan reportedly expects to be waived, which is "a similar sentiment shared by rival executives."

The 36-year-old veteran is preparing to enter his 18th NBA season, and he has spent the past two campaigns in Sacramento.

Although DeRozan's 18.4 points per game last season marked his lowest scoring average since the 2012-13 season, he is still a highly productive player given where he is in his career.

In addition to the 18.4 points, DeRozan put up 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steal per contest, while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.

On top of that, the highly durable DeRozan appeared in 77 games, marking the fifth straight season in which he played at least 74 contests.

A six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, DeRozan previously enjoyed stints with the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.

From the 2013-14 season through the 2024-25 campaign, DeRozan averaged 20 or more points per game in 12 consecutive seasons, and he owns a career scoring average of 21.1 points per contest in 1,264 games played.

DeRozan is a model of consistency, and while he is more of a third offensive option than a first or second on a good team at this point in his career, he still has plenty to offer a potential contender.

The Kings are not currently in position to contend for a championship or even a playoff spot, as they have missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and 19 of the past 20.

Last season, Sacramento went 22-60, which represented the team's worst record since the 2008-09 campaign.

As a result, rumors and speculation have swirled regarding the Kings moving on from some of their top veteran players, including DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.

If the Kings want to retool and build around younger players such as Darius Acuff Jr., Maxime Raynaud and Keegan Murray, then moving out veterans makes sense, and DeRozan could possibly be the first major chip to fall.