DeMar DeRozan says it was a ‘collective effort’ recruiting him to Sacramento

Sep 17, 2024, 4:34 PM | Updated: Sep 18, 2024, 12:13 pm

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 14: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates a shot during the ...

DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates a shot during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 14, 2024 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls 120-119 in OT. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

DeMar DeRozan has been doing a book tour for his book ‘Above The Noise,’ with the most recent coming on the Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst.

While plenty of conversation focused on his process of writing and formulating his story, he also discussed his decision to join the Sacramento Kings via sign-and-trade this offseason.

“All those guys had reached out,” DeMar DeRozan said. “The crazy thing is I remember one morning, I had a text from Malik (Monk), De’Aaron (Fox) — obviously I’ve known Trey Lyles for years, I played with him in San Antonio — Sabonis.”

“Leandro Barbosa reached out. That was my vet my second, third year in the league. He was blowing my phone up nonstop. So, everybody, it was kind of like a collective effort that made me feel overly wanted.”

The willingness of a six-time All-Star, top-40 All-Time scoring leader still at the end of his prime to join Sacramento speaks volumes about how their league-wide perception is changing internally among the players.

It will be intriguing to see how head coach Mike Brown blends their fast style of play centered around De’Aaron Fox’s elite speed and Domantas Sabonis’ outlier playmaking for a big, along with DeMar DeRozan’s ability to find his spots and convert in the halfcourt.

Luckily for the fanbase, the season is just around the corner, with media day on September 30th.

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?

Now that we know when the Kings will suit up for their season-opener, we can look forward to October 24th for the Beam Team’s season-opening matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Training camps will begin at the end of September, meaning there could still be a move or two up general manager Monte McNair’s sleeve to round out Sacramento’s roster before players report to Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports for all of your Sacramento Kings news on player signings, trades, game recaps, and more for the upcoming season.