The Sacramento Kings had some good seasons but never a power house of any kind in their franchise’s existence. On the other hand the Chicago Bulls have had the best NBA player all-time and won six championships with Michael Jordan and company. For the Bulls, that might be a once in a lifetime thing landing your Airness. The Bulls are back to the drawing board with another tear down rebuild project. It seems Illinois road construction is faster than the Bulls way of life. That is not saying much. Meanwhile the Kings have an opportunity to improve and have a deal in place for the Bulls top scorer, DeMar DeRozan, in a sign and trade with 3 teams involved. DeRozan will get a 3 year deal with Sacramento worth 70 million. The Bulls get a former first round pick in Chris Duarte along with two future 2nd round picks. The third team, the Spurs, will get Harrison Barnes and will swap picks with the Kings in 2031.

The Sacramento Kings have been looking for the big fish to help them stay the course and compete in the Western Conference playoffs. Eventually the Kings want to win their first NBA championship as Sacramento. Once they were the Rochester Royals and they won it all in 1951. Can DeMar DeRozan be the fish that saved Sacramento? At 34 years old, DeRozan has the knack for putting the ball into the basket as he averaged 24.0 points per game with the Bulls last year. He has 15 seasons in the NBA with three different teams. Started as a Raptor & then played with the Spurs before arriving in the Windy City three seasons ago. In the 2022-23 season the Kings looked fabulous as they were the number three seed in the post-season. The Kings were quickly knocked out by the Golden State Warriors. Last year the Kings offense digressed and were ranked number 13 overall which was good for the 9th seed in the Western Conference. DeRozan is a guy that can create his own shot. He’s a guy that wants the ball to take the final shot and put the final nails in the coffin of the opposing team.

Meanwhile the Bulls, no secret about it, are in full rebuild. The Bulls have been stuck in the mediocre world of the NBA at best or maybe a tad below that. This is the second significant trade they have already made this off-season. The first deal Bulls management did was ship their best defender Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City and in return they landed Josh Giddey, an offensive threat who can create his own shot. The Bulls already have Zach Levine who is the same style player. The Bulls get a small forward, shooting guard Chris Duarte, who averaged 3.9 points per game last year in his first season as a King. He was drafted number 13 overall in the 2021 draft out of the University of Oregon. Duarte has three seasons in the NBA and is 27 years old. He has played in 160 games and averaged 8.2 points per game for his three year career. As a Bulls fan you may be more excited for the two 2nd round picks than Duarte.

This deal to land DeMar DeRozan done by the Sacramento Kings takes you back before the 2001-02 season when the front office acquired guard Mike Bibby from then the Vancouver Grizzlies. That deal was a significant trade back then that propelled the Kings to the Western Conference championship. They had a roster stacked then with Chris Weber, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovic. Bibby made that team even better. Unfortunately for the Kings they met a Lakers team with superstars such as Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Those Kings teams would never make it past those Lakers teams. Last year for the Kings De’Aaron Fox was the team’s go-to guy. The clutch shot. He handles the ball most of the game. The question is can De’Aaron and DeRozan, double D’s, coexist with each other? Double D’s in men’s lives always got along in my book. The Kings also have Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter who can be productive on the offensive side of the ball. If Fox and DeRozan can coexist with the others, this team will put points on the score board. Sacramento is not the ideal place to attract NBA free agents. The front office has to win on a trade to bring this together. I like this deal for both parties. The Kings add another scorer who has no fear making the shot to win the game. For DeRozan you head back to the west coast where you are from in LA. Sacramento is closer than Chicago. You have a team ready to compete in the post-season. You get out of a mediocre scene with the Bulls who are rebuilding. You got paid. Like to see some better defense out of you when you do suit up for your first game with the Kings. Yes, it’s good to be a Sacramento King. Not sure if this move will make them the King of the NBA world. That’s why we play the “game of thrones” for 82 games a season.