There was talk around the league that DeMar DeRozan might have to sign at the $13 million mid-level exception this summer, but DeRozan has always been poised and patient on the court, and that approach paid off in free agency.
DeRozan eventually landed the contract that he wanted, going to a good team in his home state of California. The six-time All-Star landed a three-year, $74 million deal with the Kings in the process on Saturday night, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Kings didn't have the cap space to sign DeRozan outright, so this addition had to be facilitated via sign-and-trade. The Bulls received two second-round picks, Chris Duarte, and cash for their help. The Spurs got Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick swap.
Was that fair value, and how much will DeRozan help the Kings? Here are trade grades for each of the three teams involved.
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Kings trade grade
There are a lot of people thinking that they are the Derek Guy of the NBA. This much concern about fit hasn't happened since the Twitter fashion critic compared Andrew Tate's fashion vs. a puppy.
DeRozan won't slide perfectly in for the Kings. They have spacing concerns with a non-shooter in Domantas Sabonis and need to improve a defense that was ranked 14th last season. That said, DeRozan was the best player still available. Paul George would have been nice, but Sacramento couldn't get in the sweepstakes to land him.
Don't let perfection get in the way of progress. DeRozan is a lot better than Barnes and Duarte. This is a talent-add at a cheap price — two second-round picks and a 2031 pick-swap that may not even convey if the Kings are good.
DeRozan is still a great player. He led the league in minutes last season, averaged 24.0 points per game on good efficiency, and finished runner-up in Clutch Player of the Year voting. He's one of the best scorers in the league efficiency-wise when operating in isolations and pick-and-rolls, and he's a much better passer than he's given credit for — he won the NBA's assist of the year award with this spinning pass, which he also threw in another game.
🌟 Assist of the Year 🌀
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 24, 2024
DeMar DeRozan's crazy 360 dime earns #NBAFanFavorites Assist of the Year honors. pic.twitter.com/4M8Rg5yF7M
DeRozan's game will age well. His pump-fakes are unstoppable. Jump on them, and he will get to the line, as he still does at a prodigious rate. Stay down on them, and he will torch you with midrange jumpers. He's not a great defender, but the Kings also finished 13th in offense, which was a huge dropoff from their winning formula in 2022-23. They also need help on that side of the ball.
DeRozan is too smart of a player to not be able to find a way to contribute at an extremely high level there. There is some worry that Sabonis, a big man who can't protect the rim or shoot 3's, is a terrible fit alongside him, but go look at Nikola Vucevic's numbers. Sabonis represents an improvement in both of those areas. Likewise, Coby White exploded playing alongside DeRozan. De'Aaron Fox is a better version of what White aspires to one day be.
Bottom line — the Kings needed to make a move to get better. They missed the playoffs altogether in a congested Western Conference last season. There is some risk in the pick swap that they gave the Spurs, but this was not a ton to give up for a player of DeRozan's caliber. And if the fit really does become a problem, then his contract is still a bargain that can be moved down the line.
Grade: B+
MORE: NBA Power Rankings after free agency
Bulls trade grade
The Bulls would have gotten a lot more for DeRozan had they moved him last year, as they should have. That's a sunk cost, though. Getting this return was about as good as they could expect for a player who was no longer under contract with them. They didn't have much leverage. DeRozan wasn't re-signing with the team, so they were lucky to get anything back. Sign-and-trades with any DeRozan suitor were extremely hard to pull off due to the financial landscape of the league.
Two second-rounders was the going price for a sign-and-trade this summer. The Warriors received that same return in order for helping Klay Thompson get to the Mavericks. The Bulls didn't have a second-round pick until 2028 due to squandering so many in bad trades. This helps replenish their stash, which will make future trades easier to pursue.
The cash that the Bulls received in the trade doesn't do anything but buy Arturas Karnisovas some much-needed goodwill with ownership. Duarte is a bad prospect on an expiring $5.9 million contract. The former No. 13 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft showed some promise as a movement shooter in his rookie year with the Pacers, but he's shot just 32.9 percent from deep since then and doesn't do much else on the floor. He was included for salary-matching more than anything else.
Getting DeRozan off the team was the right move at the wrong time. He was the best Bull since Jimmy Butler, but it was past time to move on.
Grade: B
Spurs trade grade
DeRozan is the gift that keeps on giving for the Spurs. They helped get him to Chicago, landing some expiring salary along with a top-10 protected first-round pick and two second-rounders back in 2021. Now, they will receive Barnes on a two-year, $41 million deal along with a first-round pick swap with the Kings in 2031.
The Spurs had to make moves to get themselves involved in this deal, shipping off Devonte Graham and a second-round pick earlier in the day in order to open up the cap space to take in Barnes. That's how badly they wanted to get that first-round pick swap. It's unprotected, meaning that if the Kings are in the lottery in seven years, that could end up being an amazing asset while Victor Wembanyama is in his prime and carrying the team to the top of the standings.
Barnes has been a solid veteran in the league for 12 years now. A few years ago, he was a reliable 3-and-D wing who the Spurs would have needed to pay a first-round pick in order to get. Now, he's a salary dump. He declined rapidly last season, looking much slower. He's still capable of playing rotational minutes, but he's not an above-average starter anymore.
He is much better than what the Spurs had last year at that position, and he will help them improve. That's important for them given Wembanyama's frustration with all of the losing in his rookie year. Barnes and Chris Paul will get the Spurs fighting for a play-in spot, and San Antonio also gets a potentially huge return in 2031.
Grade: B+
