The Sacramento Kings have entered a relatively quiet offseason, focusing on a three-player draft class anchored by point guard Darius Acuff Jr., re-signing forward Precious Achiuwa, and moving forward after trading forward Devin Carter. Amid these moves, the future of the veteran trio, Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, has already become a focal point, with at least one expected to be off the roster by the start of the 2026-27 season.

DeRozan, who is 37, is owed $25 million for the upcoming season, but only $10 million of that is guaranteed. He has signaled a desire to accelerate his departure, indicating that a trade or a waiver followed by a stretch provision are the most likely routes. A waiver would allow the club to spread the non-guaranteed portion of his contract over multiple seasons, providing immediate cap relief while preserving flexibility for free-agency pursuits.

From a tactical standpoint, DeRozan’s skill set does not align with the Kings’ evolving identity. Sacramento is shifting toward a faster, spacing-oriented offense that emphasizes pick-and-roll action between Sabonis and a guard who can stretch the floor. DeRozan’s game, which thrives in half-court isolation and mid-range continuity, offers limited upside at his age, especially alongside the athletic wing LaVine. Retaining him would likely force the Kings to sacrifice either playing time for younger wing prospects or the cap space required to add a complementary shooter.

If the franchise opts for a waiver, the stretch mechanism would convert the non-guaranteed portion of his contract into dead-money spread over multiple seasons, freeing cap space for the upcoming free-agency window. That flexibility would be valuable as the Kings look to add pieces around their young core. A trade remains a possibility; the Kings could extract a draft pick or a young expiring contract, further aligning the move with a longer-term rebuild.

The pattern emerging this summer shows Sacramento willing to make bold peripheral moves while preserving the core that delivered a playoff berth last season. The decision on DeRozan fits that formula, and the most probable outcome is a waiver that lets him test the open market while the Kings retain a stretchable salary. Whether a trade materializes or the stretch is executed, the Kings will enter the 2026-27 season with a cleaner cap sheet and a clearer path toward their next generation of talent.