Watch: DeMar DeRozan receives resounding welcome in Sacramento feat. Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" track in background
It did not take long for DeMar DeRozan to receive a warm welcome in Sacramento after the Kings acquired him from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team sign-and-trade deal. DeRozan was introduced during the Kings’ Summer League game against China at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday with Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” playing in the background.
News broke of the Kings acquiring DeMar DeRozan on Saturday night, sending Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash to the Bulls, and sending Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs.
Shortly after reports of the trade circulated, Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of DeMar DeRozan arriving at the Golden 1 Center and being greeted with cheers from Sacramento fans.
The song choice was significant as DeRozan had appeared in the music video for “Not Like Us,” a Kendrick Lamar diss track to Drake, who was DeRozan's friend during his Toronto days.
DeRozan has since distanced himself from Drake, even appearing at Lamar’s “The Pop Out” concert and dancing to “Not Like Us” onstage.
Adding DeRozan gives the Kings a strong scoring presence alongside stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis,
DeRozan, a six-time NBA All-Star, is coming off a solid season with the Chicago Bulls, where he averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Despite approaching 35, he remains one of the top shooting guards in the NBA.
Looking at the Kings' offseason moves including the DeMar DeRozan trade
Acquiring DeMar DeRozan came at a considerable cost for the Sacramento Kings. Besides trading Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte, draft picks, a pick swap, and cash, they also committed to a hefty contract for DeRozan.
Chris Haynes reported that DeRozan's contract with the Kings is a three-year, $76 million deal, with the first two years fully guaranteed at $59 million and the third year partially guaranteed.
However, this investment was necessary for the Kings to remain competitive in the challenging Western Conference.
This offseason, they retained Malik Monk with a four-year, $78 million contract and drafted Devin Carter, a versatile guard with similarities to Jrue Holiday and Patrick Beverley.
Earlier, the Kings traded Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov for Jalen McDaniels.
Currently, the Kings have a robust 10-man rotation. Possible starters include De’Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. The bench could feature Carter, Monk, Kevin Huerter, McDaniels and Alex Len.