DeMar DeRozan
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Sacramento Kings' DeMar DeRozan during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in December 2025
The rumor mill is aflood with news, views and reports of the Golden State Warriors’ potential activity in the February 2026 NBA trade market, and all indications are that they are going to be doing something. But just as much as certain names such as Giannis Antetokounmpo keep being brought up, a new report indicates that at least one can be ruled out.
From a conversation by Sam Amick of The Athletic – incredibly reliable at the best of times, but unimpeachable on all matters Kings – on the Sactown Sports 1140 morning show earlier today, one name that can be removed from discussion as a potential trade target of the Warriors is that of Sacramento Kings veteran wing DeMar DeRozan. Amid a wider discussion about where if anywhere DeRozan might be on the move to in the near future, Amick said that there was little chatter both internally and externally about DeRozan being anything more than a trade of last resort for most competitors – but went on to expressly say that the Warriors had let it be known that they were not interested in such a deal at all.
“[N]o disrespect to DeMar, maybe it’s like a last option type of thing that happens the day of the deadline or the day before. Once teams know, ‘Okay, we didn’t get this guy, we didn’t get that guy,’ something like that. I’d written about the Clippers in the past about DeMar and so there had been conversations there, but I’m not hearing anything current in terms of that progressing anywhere. The Warriors have been mentioned, but they made it kind of clear they don’t have interest. So, not sure.”
Sam Amick
Warriors Looking To Deal…
The Warriors have both reason and assets to deal. They are coming up to the final tee shot of Stephen Curry’s brilliant career, giving them all the incentive to push all in and make one more needle-moving deal, and have also been trying to keep the ball in the air these last few seasons with a series of trades that started with D’Angelo Russell and most recently involved the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. They are always interested in the big names on the market, and especially so this year – they know that they cannot win as constructed.
Currently, though, they will be hoping for bigger than DeRozan. Perhaps satisfied that Butler alone suffices their quota for Former Bulls Star Wings Kicking 40s Door Down, and with Giannis available in at least some capacity, the Warriors are going to go as big as they can in this market, especially now that they have some slightly better trade assets to offer than usual.
In terms of assets, the awkward offseason reconciliation with Jonathan Kuminga was always done with the intent to deal him later on, and his $22.5 million expiring contract can form the financial backbone of any deal. He also has merits as a player, if not all that many suitors. Moreover, the Warriors actually have some draft capital to deal, for a change, owning most of their own first-round picks for the first time since the fall of the Aztec Empire. For a team such as the Bucks who need that draft capital, and who have some salary to shift, the Warriors might be a viable option.
…But Not For That
By contrast, the Kings need the Warriors as a trade partner more than the Warriors need the Kings.
The Kings are muddling through a terrible season. They are bottom of the Western Conference with a lowly 12-38 record, behind even the New Orleans Pelicans, and have lost eight games in a row. It seems their team-building strategy of consistently losing trades has not paid off.
With this in mind, they will obviously try to sell everything sellable, retool for the future, and have yet another go at it. There is no place in their present or future for DeRozan, not because he is poor or at fault, but because he is nearly at the end of his career. Although his mid-range game is not as athleticism-dependent as others, DeRozan is inevitably on the decline anyway, averaging below 20 points per game for the first time since 2013, and although his 19.0 points per game, it follows logically that the Warriors will seek to find better value elsewhere.