Waiving DeMar DeRozan was a smart financial move, but that didn’t make it any easier for the Kings to let him go, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (subscription required). General manager Scott Perry addressed that decision and several other topics during a press conference on Wednesday, calling DeRozan “one of my favorite players to work with.”
“I’ve worked with some great players, some Hall of Fame players, in my career,” Perry said. “His professionalism, his leadership, the way he went about preparing for his job each and every day was exemplary, and how he poured into our young players last year was very important and very much appreciated.”
DeRozan only had a $10MM guarantee on his $25.74MM salary for the upcoming season, and the team can create even more immediate cap savings by using the stretch provision to spread that $10MM across the next three years. That would reduce his cap charge for 2026/27 by over $22MM, taking the Kings out of apron territory and below the luxury tax line.
While the benefits of parting ways with DeRozan were obvious, Perry told reporters that he searched for other alternatives to reduce payroll.
“We were trying to figure out ways we could keep him, but as we all know there is a financial component to this job,” Perry said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to figure out anything that would allow us to keep him, but I’m going to miss him. I’ll be honest with you.”
There’s more on the Kings, all from Anderson:
- Perry is focused on the upcoming season with Zach LaVine, who will reportedly exercise his $49MM player option. LaVine has been the subject of trade speculation, but Perry hasn’t heard any offers that he likes. “Zach and I have been in communication since the season has been over,” Perry said. “… Zach is still an excellent basketball player. He knows what’s expected of him coming back here this year. I’m very clear with him on that. He’ll be the first to tell you that, and I think he’s ready to come back, embrace that and perform to the best of his abilities this year.”
- Perry sounded a similar tone regarding Domantas Sabonis, who has also been the subject of trade rumors involving several teams. The three-time All-Star will be trying to bounce back after injuries limited him to 19 games last season. “Obviously, he missed a lot of last year, but he’s always played hard,” Perry said. “I expect him to do that, provide some veteran presence for this team, really have a tremendous rebounding year and help us build some winning habits.”
- Reporters brought up the possibility of re-signing Russell Westbrook to serve as a mentor to first-round pick Darius Acuff Jr. Perry said Westbrook “has always been a favorite of mine,” but added that the Kings currently can’t offer more than the veteran’s minimum deal that he played on last season. Sacramento technically holds Westbrook’s Non-Bird rights, allowing the team to go 20% above his minimum, but it sounds like non-minimum deals for any free agent are unlikely as long as the team is flirting with the luxury tax line and first-apron hard cap.
- Perry is happy that Sacramento was able to keep Precious Achiuwa on a new two-year contract when he had other options in free agency. “He could have gone elsewhere, but he wanted to be here,” Perry said. “I think he came here last year searching for a place he could call home. He quickly established himself, the way he competed each and every night at both ends of the floor. He’s a versatile athlete, and I can’t say it enough: I love having guys who want to be here and are invested in something they can build into something bigger than just themselves, and Precious embodies that.”
Source: www.hoopsrumors.com
