Kings forward DeMar DeRozan wants his Sacramento exit to happen sooner rather than later, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Reporting in June already pointed to the Kings expecting to either trade or waive him, and the 17-year veteran is hoping that decision comes down quickly.
A straight trade would be the cleanest outcome for Sacramento from a cap standpoint, since it would remove DeRozan’s full $25.7MM salary without bringing money back. The problem is obvious: very few teams can actually take on that kind of deal. Because of that, the likelier path may be a waiver and stretch, with the Kings spreading his partial guarantee of $10MM over three seasons at $3.33MM per year.
If Sacramento chose to waive and stretch him right away, DeRozan would hit the market while several playoff teams still have some spending room, which could help him land a better contract. But for now, the front office appears intent on working through trade possibilities first. The deadline to waive a player and stretch his 2026/27 cap hit is August 29.
Around the league, Houston’s conversations on Dorian Finney-Smith are still moving in different directions. Sources told Iko the Rockets’ talks have been “fluid,” with the team looking at both a deal that sends Finney-Smith out to create cap flexibility and one that brings a player back.
Even so, nothing has been tempting enough to push Houston into action, and the urgency has eased after free agency broke the Rockets’ way. They landed commitments from Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic without dipping beyond the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception.
There also appears to be momentum on a possible move involving Pistons guard Marcus Sasser. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported earlier in the week that the Mavericks were a “leading suitor,” and now he’s writing about it like a deal is expected to happen.
Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron added that there’s a workable path for the Grizzlies, Pistons and Mavericks to merge their separate agreements involving Isaiah Stewart and Santi Aldama into one larger transaction and bring Sasser in as well. Detroit’s additions of Isaiah Joe from the Thunder and John Collins via sign-and-trade from the Clippers would likely be folded into that framework too, turning it into a five-team trade.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers are also being mentioned as a team that could still make a roster move. Dave McMenamin of ESPN says league sources are wondering whether the Lakers might use a trade or a waive-and-stretch move on a player such as Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton to create a little more cap room so they can re-sign Rui Hachimura. For now, though, that remains speculation rather than something concrete.
And in Milwaukee, the Bucks checked in with the Grizzlies about Ja Morant during the 2025/26 season and kept revisiting the possibility through this past Monday, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That came well after agreeing to move Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the end, Milwaukee passed on pursuing Morant, and Memphis instead agreed to send him to Portland.
In Other News...
Kings Seem Ready To Move On From Two More Veterans
The Kings have already spent part of the free-agent period reshaping the back end of the roster, dealing Devin Carter in a salary-dump move and picking up the second-year team option on Killian Hayes. Those decisions have given Sacramento some flexibility as it continues sorting through the rest of the depth chart, especially with the front office still looking at a handful of available names to see which fits best around the current group.
Drew Eubanks and Doug McDermott appear to be the next veterans on the way out of the picture, even though nothing has been formally announced yet. Sacramento is still weighing other free agents such as Precious Achiuwa, Daeqwon Plowden and Russell Westbrook, with Achiuwa and Plowden emerging as priorities as the Kings try to keep the roster moving toward a cleaner fit and a little more balance. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Just Made Two Depth Moves Fans Will Want To Track
The Kings kept working the edges of their roster by signing Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler to two-way contracts, a familiar kind of summer move for a team trying to strengthen its depth without sacrificing flexibility. Mogbo arrives as a forward who was drafted in 2024 and spent his rookie season with Toronto, while Flagler comes in as a guard with experience in the Thunder organization and a recent run with the Austin Spurs.
For Sacramento, these are the kinds of additions that can matter later even if they barely register now. Two-way spots often turn into the easiest way to find a useful piece over the course of a long season, and the Kings are clearly adding players with different paths but similar incentives: prove they can stick, earn minutes when called upon, and give the front office more options if the rotation gets tested. [Read more 🡒]