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The Kings were sifting through a variety of Ellis scenarios Friday, league sources say, including larger trade constructions that could feature the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Cleveland's Hunter. Word also surfaced that a specific three-team framework is being discussed between the Kings and Cavaliers that potentially includes Sacramento's Dennis Schroder.
Sam Amick on Demar DeRozan: I haven't heard too many specifics on DeMar… Q. Which shocks me, honestly. Amick: Yeah, maybe it's like a last, and no disrespect to DeMar, maybe it's like a last option type of thing that happens the day of the deadline or the day before. Once teams know, 'Okay, we didn't get this guy, we didn't get that guy,' something like that. I'd written about the Clippers in the past about DeMar and so there had been conversations there, but I'm not hearing anything current in terms of that progressing anywhere. The Warriors have been mentioned, but they made it kind of clear they don't have interest. So, not sure. Q. Especially now that Giannis is on the table.
Eddie House: I'm with Brad Miller, what he said. It's not about rebuilding, but you retool. Right before the All-Star break, you find a couple guys that you could piece together and bring in maybe some young players to play with a few older players and then you start creating that culture and changing that culture because if it's just older players, they're already stuck in their ways. We know that and it's a lot of times that's not going to change. You get guys that are 10-year vets. They going to play like how they play. But you get somebody that's starving, like we were saying that's starving, looking to make their bones in the league. I think that's what they got to do and they're going to probably have to part ways with somebody that's on that team whether it be Zach LaVine or whether it be DeMar DeRozan. And it might be a mutual thing for everybody. They get a breath of fresh air.
While the Sacramento Kings have long been Kuminga's most interested suitor, league sources said there have been no recent traction in those talks. The Warriors have maintained no desire to absorb Malik Monk's or DeMar DeRozan's multiyear contracts in the deal, messaging to the Kings that they'd prefer an expiring contract back in a smaller-scale maneuver.
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Omer Osman: Dillon Brooks went OFF on DeMar DeRozan’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors 😳: DB: “Raptors couldn’t get over the hump, right?” A00: “What hump? They got over it!” LOW: “Why couldn’t they?” DB: “Why? They got DeRozan out of there.” “I’ll be real for the city, bro. DeRozan was not holding his weight out there.” “He couldn’t win. He made the playoffs every year. One time a 1 seed. One time a 5 seed. He run into LeBron, can’t do nothing.” “You can choke, but you can’t go to media and say, like, ‘Can’t do nothing without LeBron.’”
As for DeMar DeRozan, while he has been cited as a possible replacement In the wake of the Warriors losing Jimmy Butler for the season with a torn ACL on Monday night, a Kings source indicated the Warriors have shown no interest in the 36-year-old guard. As has been widely reported, Golden State’s strong interest in New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III most certainly remains. It’s just a matter of whether New Orleans will change its current stance and do a deal on that front. (The same applies to the Pelicans’ Herb Jones.)
Draymond Green: Pelle Larsson been in the mix a bit this week. Got into it with Booker, then got into it with Demar. My take on that is I’ve played a bunch of Europeans, they do little dirty stuff. People get mad at me and say ‘Draymond dirty I told yall draymond dirty.’ Draymond will f*ck you up. I don’t do dirty things I played for Tom Izzo if you did dirty things it didn’t work. I don’t do dirty things. There’s not a player in the NBA that can tell you Draymond is a dirty player. There’s a lot of Europeans that do dirty stuff on the basketball court. For D Book and Demar to get mad like that he’s (Pelle) is doing something we ain’t see. To his credit, he got a tech on D Book and Demar thrown out. If you going to keep doing that you gotta stay on that because people will start coming at you and that comes with a reputation. I don’t know Pelle Larsson to be that guy but if that’s who he’s going to be, commit and stay there because guys will start going at you like that.
Shams Charania: So, two teams that have interest in Jonathan Kuminga, the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings. So, does a player say DeMar DeRozan? Does that fit the bill of what the Warriors could need without Jimmy Butler? But one way or the other, the Warriors are about to find out where they stand with Jonathan Kuminga this season.
NBA Communications: Other nominees... West: Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe (POR), DeMar DeRozan (SAC), Luka Dončić (LAL), James Harden (LAC), Jamal Murray (DEN), Alperen Sengun (HOU) and Victor Wembanyama (SAS). East: Brandon Miller (CHA), Norman Powell (MIA), Pascal Siakam (IND), Anfernee Simons (BOS), Jaylon Tyson (CLE) and Nikola Vučević (CHI).
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Meanwhile, the Kings have inquired about the price tag for Morant, but internal questions about whether the franchise is ready to give up assets and add him while focusing on developing their young talent (Keegan Murray, Nique Clifford, and Maxime Raynaud) and gauging the market on potentially moving their veteran trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.
Scott Perry: Unfortunately, [Domantas] Sabonis, another veteran player, has missed a lot of time this year. Just as I thought he was starting to gain some sort of rhythm to his game, now he’s out again. But again, hard worker with his approach and mindset. I spent a lot of time with Zach [LaVine] in the offseason. You talk about professional, another guy that works at this game, comes in here at night like DeMar. We all know that Zach is a guy who really scores the basketball. He’s shown that as DeMar has throughout his career. The challenge for him and DeMar is, can we get better defensively? From a mental standpoint, they all bought in to getting that effort and trying. Unfortunately, we didn’t win enough games there in the beginning, but he’s still plugged in.
