DeMar DeRozan Gets Honest About Future With Kings After Mavericks Game

The Sacramento Kings and a rollercoaster 2024-25 campaign, and it finally came to an end on Wednesday night. The Kings fell to the Mavericks 120-106, despite a 33-point outing from star forward DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan, 35, finished his debut season with the Kings averaging 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, becoming Sacramento's most reliable player, although the team certainly let him down.

It is very rare for a proven star of DeRozan's caliber to want to play for the Kings, but the 16-year veteran chose Sacramento last offseason, wanting to play alongside De'Aaron Fox and Mike Brown. After a coach firing and a blockbuster trade, DeRozan was all alone, and now the aging star is stuck in an awkward position.

FINAL: Kings fall to the Mavericks, 120-106.

👑 DeMar DeRozan: 33 PTS, 7 REB
👑 Zach LaVine: 20 PTS, 9 AST
👑 Domantas Sabonis: 11 PTS, 13 REB
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 17, 2025

The Kings are nowhere near competing, and the 35-year-old veteran could be ready to move on to a better situation this offseason. After the season-ending loss on Wednesday night, DeRozan got honest about his uncertain future.

"I'm going into my 17th season, that's the reality of it," DeRozan said. "For me, you don't have many opportunities left to give yourself a chance to compete in the playoffs. That's all you kind of want at this stage of your career. Just get a chance to get in there and see what happens.

"It's probably the most I've been through in my 16-year career. The season we had was a lot. It’s too hard to fathom right now."

DeMar DeRozan spoke on the Kings’ loss, his NBA clock ticking and a crazy year in Sacramento: pic.twitter.com/JO7Nm4JUYY
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) April 17, 2025

DeRozan knows that his team in the league is winding down, and spending his last few years with a struggling Kings team with minimal sense of direction is likely not what he wants.

"It's difficult. I'm not trying to play another five, six years. You've only got so many years. That window closes quick," DeRozan said. "When you think about it from that perspective, it's definitely tough. You don't get many opportunities and you don't wanna waste the opportunities that you have left either. Everything don't always go the way you want it to go and sometimes that can be frustrating, but it's just part of life. The next few days I'll sit and think."

Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

DeRozan also got more specific about his future with the Kings, but the star forward will certainly take time to think about what he wants moving forward, although the current Sacramento situation is likely not it.

"You always want a foundation that's stable and understood going forward," DeRozan continued. "I'm pretty sure a lot of decisions have got to be made from top to bottom. The next couple days, the next couple weeks, just process everything that went on. From a personal standpoint, that's gonna be a priority, and we'll see what happens from there."

The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair are mutually parting ways, sources tell ESPN. McNair spent five seasons running the Kings, winning NBA executive of the year in 2023 when Sacramento went 48-34 and snapped a record 16-year drought to make the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/off3QWsZnU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2025

Just an hour after the conclusion of Wednesday's game, the Kings reportedly parted ways with general manager Monte McNair, as DeRozan was right about a lot of decisions being made top to bottom. This situation will likely only push away DeRozan, as Sacramento's future is as cloudy as ever.

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