Zach LaVine spent his off day in Denver doing what longtime friends do: showing up.
The Sacramento Kings guard was on hand for the Denver Nuggets’ 104-91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday, where he watched DeMar DeRozan and offered support to his former teammate. The two shared a playful hug and plenty of smiling back-and-forth when they reunited.
LaVine said DeRozan is one of his best friends, and that he likes making time to see friends play when the Kings aren’t in action.
Their connection goes back five seasons, first with the Chicago Bulls and later with Sacramento. DeRozan arrived in Chicago after the San Antonio Spurs sign-and-traded him in the 2021 offseason, and the two quickly became one of the league’s most productive scoring pairings.
In their first year together with the Bulls, LaVine and DeRozan helped power the offense, each averaging more than 20 points per game. Chicago surged into the No. 1 seed and rolled off a nine-game winning streak from Dec. 19 to Jan. 7 before injuries hit and the team’s standing slid sharply. Even through that collapse, both players earned All-Star recognition that season.
The Bulls split them up in the 2024 offseason by sign-and-trading DeRozan to the Kings. A few months later, LaVine followed him there as part of a multi-team deal that sent De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs.
Once reunited in Sacramento, the two kept doing what they do best. LaVine kept stacking 30-point games, and DeRozan kept climbing the all-time scoring list. The Kings didn’t turn into a winning team during that stretch, but they did manage some impressive victories along the way.
That chapter ended when Sacramento waived DeRozan after being unable to work out a trade for the 37-year-old, and he landed in Denver on the veteran’s minimum with hopes of helping push the Nuggets back to the NBA Finals.
A reunion with LaVine in Denver looks unlikely. LaVine’s future in Sacramento is uncertain, with his $48.9 million player option limiting the Kings’ offseason flexibility and likely making trade partners hesitate.
The Kings will be back in Denver on Jan. 25 for a game at Ball Arena, and the Nuggets will visit the Golden 1 Center on March 8 and 29.
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