The Sacramento Kings are off to a predictably slow start to the 2025-26 season, plummeting down the Western Conference standings with a 5-14 record. With an aging and underwhelming roster, Sacramento is now forced to pivot in an attempt to escape purgatory. Multiple Kings players could be on the move by the Feb. 5 trade deadline, as their entire core trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan are considered trade candidates.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints recently listed the Portland Trail Blazers as a potential landing spot for DeRozan, referring to him as the "most likely to be moved" out of that trio due to his relatively smaller contract. DeRozan is owed $24.7 million this year, with only $10 million guaranteed for next season if he doesn't reach the All-Star game or NBA Finals. Meanwhile, both Sabonis and LaVine are on multi-year deals worth north of $40 million annually.
"Out of the three Kings stars, DeRozan is the most likely to be moved. More teams around the league can absorb his contract, and trading for DeRozan will be a desperation move for any playoff team wanting a mid-range scorer to help lead their second unit," Siegel writes.
DeMar DeRozan is not the answer to the Blazers' problems
Other teams Siegel lists as potential suitors for DeRozan include the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, and Memphis Grizzlies. The Bucks and Clippers are two teams bound to make a move by the deadline due to their respective desperation. Milwaukee is off to an 8-11 start and must upgrade its roster before Giannis Antetokounmpo requests out. The Clippers' aging stars experiment has backfired with a 5-13 start, but they might still pursue upgrades (for the sake of the entire league) since the Oklahoma City Thunder have their first-round pick this summer.
Miami and Memphis also make some sense for their own reasons, but we can't quite see the point of adding DeRozan to this up-and-coming Blazers roster. Portland's front office has maintained that they are taking a long-term rebuilding approach, so what do they need a one-year loan for?
DeRozan would certainly help address Portland's lack of depth, but they already have a veteran scorer to help lead their second unit in Jerami Grant. Additionally, given the lack of shooting on their roster, they don't need another midrange scorer who can't efficiently space the floor beyond the arc.
The only reason acquiring DeRozan would make sense is if Portland manages to offload Grant as part of the deal, as DeRozan's contract is both cheaper and shorter. But if Sacramento is having a fire sale, they likely don't want to take on a bigger roster headache without being compensated in the form of draft capital, and at that point, the Blazers would say no.
Portland just doesn't fit the criteria as a team that is either desperation or a piece away from contention. If they do get involved in trade talks with the Kings, they'd be better off making a less aggressive move for Keon Ellis.