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Details Behind the Sacramento Kings Trading Up for Nique Clifford | Locked On Kings



Details Behind the Sacramento Kings Trading Up for Nique Clifford | Locked On Kings

the Sacramento Kings trade into the first round moving up to 24 to take Colorado State’s Nick Clifford i’ve got details on how this draft night went down in Sacramento plus you’ll hear from Nick and general manager Scott Perry right here on Locked on Kings you are Locked on Kings your daily Sacramento Kings podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day and now ladies and gentlemen it is that time time for another episode of Locked on Kings hello and welcome to Locked On Kings your podcast hub for Sacramento Kings coverage all offseason long my name is Matt George i have the privilege of being your host here i’m a Sacramento sports anchor and reporter for ABC 10 News just got back to the ABC10 studios after spending my evening inside the Sacramento Kings practice facility attached to the Golden One Center right under the offices of the Kings front office of course the war room where Scott Perry and his front office staff plus coaches and ownership all gathered around a table and waited to pounce on their opportunity to move into the first round i’ve been monitoring and having conversations all over the place today about the the the circumstances of the Kings acquiring a firstround draft pick i’m happy to share the details that I know with you we’re going to start there i’ll also share with you of course uh some information about Nick uh Clifford who I think Kings fans should be reasonably excited about you’ll hear from Nick he had some great things to say in a Zoom press conference that we had with him tonight uh from New York City and then or Brooklyn and then uh you’re going to hear from Scott Perry who held a press conference at the end of the night inside the Kings practice facility and I got the opportunity to ask Scott a couple of questions but let me share with you like behind the scenes of what I know about today and about how the Kings managed to work themselves into the first round and and how just everything came about from what I understand so there were rumors and reports I think Jake Fischer was one of the guys to report that the Sacramento Kings were essentially informing teams that they had a first round pick or they were going to get a first round pick from my understanding the Kings entered the Golden One Center today they entered the draft with no deal done no pick secured but that was by design now as you’re going to hear when you hear Scott Perry’s portion of the press conference uh later on in this episode Scott talks about there’s there were plenty of preliminary conversations right we knew that the Sacramento Kings range that they were looking to move up into was that low to mid20s range and there were obviously we know what teams have the picks in those ranges so the Kings had already had conversations with certain teams to at least set a baseline or get an understanding of what it would take to get a deal done and establish interest on both sides so it’s not like the Kings and Scott Perry went into tonight’s draft completely blind but there was no deal done and again that was by design for Scott Perry because Scott didn’t know who was going to be on the board at that range and he’s not just going to go out and acquire a pick sure he could have done it two three days ago and we could have all known coming into today that the Kings are going to make a selection but Scott doesn’t have as much information as he had with him waiting until he had a better idea of the board i walked into the Golden One Center with the understanding that there were clear names on the Sacramento Kings board or list names that the Kings would be willing to trade up for if those names went into the teens or even the very early 20s to where the Kings felt like they could not move into that range to go and get them then ultimately Perry would have just I think been content with not having a first round pick and started worrying about the second round of course Nick Clifford was one of those names the Kings and Scott Perry very interested in Nick Clifford even though they didn’t have Nick in for any kind of workout they did have a conversation with Neique and and got to know him a little bit at the draft combine in Chicago but that is the uh that is the furthest along that it went walter Clayton Jr the Florida guard who ended up going what was it um 18 to uh Washington took him in 18 but traded him to the Utah Jazz walter Clayton Jr i I know for a fact was another name that was on that list right if Walter Clayton Jr potentially was there in the early 20s if he had fallen to the early 20s the Kings were also interested in potentially moving up for him i don’t know if they preferred Clayton Jr over Nick or Nick over Clayton Jr or whatever the case may be i just know that there were names that the Kings had on their board that they were monitoring and waiting to see if they would be there before making a deal so they would not jump the gun i also know for a fact that it was not just the Oklahoma City that the Kings were talking to right the Kings were having conversations with the Brooklyn Nets the Kings were having conversations uh with the Washington Wizards who I think had the 21st overall pick right the Kings were involved in multiple conversations working different angles testing to see what it would cost what they were shopping whether Devin Carter was being floated out there or future firsts or pick swaps or whatever the case may be the Kings were having multiple conversations with multiple different teams to try and find the right deal to move up into the range they wanted to and they clearly felt or realized that Nick uh Nick Clifford was going to be available for them with the 24th pick the Thunder make a ton of sense a ton of sense as a trade partner because the Thunder only have two first round picks in this draft they are also a team that’s loaded with other future first round picks and their roster is packed it’s full they do not have room so the Thunder make perfect sense for a team like Sacramento to make a deal with and the deal that the Kings made with the Thunder to acquire the 24th pick to to take uh Clifford was they they traded away the 2027 San Antonio Spurs pick that the Kings acquired as part of the De’Aran Fox Chicago Bulls three team trade this last season there are protections on this pick this pick is top 16 protected which means in 2027 if the Spurs are not one of the 16th worst teams in the league if they’re a really really good team then that pick will just go to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2027 and who knows maybe the Thunder are in a position where they need to draft players at that point it gives the the Thunder more flexibility down the road but if that pick does not convey and I know Kings fans are probably a little worried about protections right we just went through the year after year after year of the protections being held off and held off and held off for the Kevin Herurder trade so Kings fans may be a little spooked by protections don’t you worry this is not going to have long-term impact on the Kings because if that pick does not convey if it’s not a top 16 pick or if sorry if it is a top 16 pick the Kings will keep it and their second rounder that year their the Kings 2027 second rounder and the Charlotte Hornets 2027 second rounder that the Kings own both of those second rounders that same draft will go to OKC so no matter what the 2027 draft this trade will be handled and finalized if the pick is top 16 the Kings pick it or keep it meaning the Spurs are not as good as they expect to be if the Spurs are as good as we expect them to be then that pick will just go to OKC and it is what it is but no matter what that pick will be handled it’ll it’ll it’ll convey whether it’s a first or two seconds it will convey on draft night in 2027 so I really really like that this was an opportunity that Scott Perry ultimately pounced on again he monitored different situations okc was the right move the right package i think this is a really really solid smart trade for Scott Perry in fact I thought Scott handled this draft brilliantly now we don’t know how of course Clifford is going to play out if he’s the right pick or not how successful of a career he’s going to have and we’ll talk more about Clifford in the next segment but in terms of the process of acquiring a late first round pick I think Scott Perry handled this brilliantly brilliantly i think he did an absolute smart calculated tactical not overreactionary job was patient but moved when he felt it was the right time to move and Kings fans even if you’re not super excited about the Clifford pick specifically I think Kings fans should be very encouraged and very happy by what Scott Perry did tonight kings fans are hooting and hollering get into the first round we want a first round pick scott Perry do something he did something he was smart he didn’t just sit on his hands he was patient he was cerebral and he went out and not only got a first round pick he got a first round pick got one of the guys that he wanted that was on his list and didn’t really trade that much to get it so I thought this was a brilliant brilliant draft in terms of how he acquired a first round pick for Scott Perry which is very very encouraging going forward speaking of going forward we’re going to talk more about Neat Clifford here in the next segment but I want to just establish this because these are some of the things that I’m hearing i want to just establish this this is something that we’ll talk about more down the road of the off season but obviously it’s very clear the Kings have even more of a log jam at their wing position that 2-3 position right there’s already the three names there lavine D Rozan Malik Monk those are those three names not to mention Keon Ellis now you add in Clifford you could even kind of put Devin Carter in there if you don’t feel like he’s a point guard but those main three again D Rozan Lavine and Malik Monk the understanding my understanding is that one of the three of them needs to be moved it makes sense it’s logical like the Kings have an abundance of that position one of the three of them needs to be moved i went into this offseason telling you here on Locked on Kings I would be shocked if Demar Rozan were still a king i thought it made the most sense for both D Rozan and the Kings to move on however I’m starting to feel more certain maybe not necessarily comfortable but certain with the belief or realization that Demar D Rozan probably will still be a king at least going into training camp doesn’t mean the Kings won’t trade him by the trade deadline and maybe that’ll be the better value time to trade him maybe there’s a team that’s on the cusp of the playoffs and feels they need a go-to score and you can get more value for him there i also have a pretty good understanding that Scott Perry really likes Demar D Rozan really values Demar D Rozan so Kings fans I think need to start getting comfortable or prepared mentally emotionally for the Kings trading Malik Monk as of right now if you were to ask me out of the three who’s the most likely to be moved it’s Malik Monk from what I’m hearing we’ll talk more about that down the road what Malik’s value could be how good or potentially bad it might be around the league what potential packages are out there again that’s a conversation for another time but this draft pick at least further opens the door even if it’s just a little bit of a crack further opens the door to a potential Malik Monk trade i would not say Demar Rozan a Demar Roen trade is completely off the table i won’t say that at all i think Zack Lavine is pretty much off the table because of his contract so Dear still absolutely could be dealt but as of right now my understanding is if there’s one that the Kings would rather keep between Dear and Malik it’s Dear again we’ll talk about that more down the road coming up next though let’s talk about Nick Clifford the rookie that the Kings got with the 24th overall pick plus you’re going to hear from Nick and Scott Perry that’s all still coming here on Locked on Kings this episode of the Locked on Kings podcast is brought to you by Open Phone if you’re running a business you know that every missed call is money left on the table think about the last time that you had an urgent need maybe for like a plumber or a service provider right if the first person didn’t answer did you wait for a call back no you probably moved on to the next person on your call list or yellow book remember those yellow books those even exist anymore i don’t know but that’s why you need open phone open phone yellow pages that’s what it’s called see I don’t even know what it’s called open Phone is the number one business phone system built to streamline and scale your customer communications all from an app on your phone or computer open Phone lets you manage your business calls and texts from 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impact players an older prospect is certainly better than an 18 or 19year-old project even if that project has tremendous upside a fifth year senior played three years at Colorado then transferred to Colorado State for his final two years he had basically two senior years at Colorado State he will turn 24 in the middle of next season in February give you an idea like he’s he’s not much younger than Keegan Murray like he’s he is an older prospect looking at his numbers from last season though with Colorado State averaged 18.9 points per game so 19 points per game 9.6 rebounds per game so a really good rebounder as a wing and 4.4 assists has has pretty solid vision now of course the ball is in his hands a whole heck of a lot more at Colorado State than it will be here in Sacramento but it shows you kind of the Swiss Army knife profile that he has he’s he’s a guy that can do a lot of things he’s versatile that’s one of the terms that you’re going to hear Scott Perry use when talking about um Clifford and and he calls him like a two-way player and how important it is to have two-way players and guys that play on both ends of the floor it seems like Nick Clifford checks those boxes offensively looking at his offensive numbers I really really like his shooting splits especially in his final two years that he played at Colorado State but this last p this past season shot 49% from the field 37% from 30-point range and 77% from the foul line but his volume was really good he shot 13 field goals a game so again shot 49% on 13 field goal attempts shot 37% from three-point range on just shy of five three-point attempts per game and again 77% from the free throw line that number could be better but did a good job getting to the foul line so the shooting splits are there the versatility is there from Nick Clifford but as excited as all of us could be and should be and I highly encourage you i posted on my Twitter account Matt George Sack or X i posted highlights from March Madness this year and and and Nick Clifford’s performances in March Madness and you can find highlight reels and tape like he seems like a very smart savvy basketball player like someone who you don’t have to necessarily worry about the basketball IQ now he of course has to learn the speed of the NBA game like all rookies do but this is not someone that is super raw and super green so you can definitely excite yourself by watching some of his highlights and I encourage you to do so but understand and I’m not doing this to diminish the guy by any means understand we’re talking about a 24th pick we’re talking about a 24th pick that played five years of college before making it to the league does not mean that he can’t be successful or impactful in fact a lot of times I think players need to spend more time in college to be league ready i do believe Nick Clifford is NBA ready i think he is an NBA caliber player but a rotation player right you’re not looking at Nick Clifford and going “There’s your starting point guard of the future.” He’s not a point guard doesn’t seem like it he can have the ball in his hands but Nick Clifford is not going to be running the point for the Kings long term right he’s somebody that you’re hoping can be impactful right away if you give him rotational minutes but not someone that I would expect Doug Christie to just throw out there with 15 minutes a night right away maybe he can jump the gun maybe he can surprise us have a really good training camp but I’m not expecting that of course we don’t know what the roster will look like come training camp so maybe the Kings trade away a lot of their guards and then they need Nick Clifford minutes right away just have realistic expectations with the 24th overall pick right i hope he can be a diamond in the rough i hope he can be one of those guys where we analyze this draft years later and go “How the heck did Nate Clifford fall to 24?” And wow the Kings had the steal of the draft or steal of the century by moving up to go get Nick Clifford at 24 of course we’re all rooting for that but we should not expect that that being said I’m excited about Nick his versatility on the floor is really his strong selling point if you look at his basketball comps like player comps who he reminds players of to give you an idea of his game the number one comp is Doug Christie which is interesting of course his head coach here in Sacramento Doug Christie and the Kings could definitely use more Doug Christie types on their roster so I’m excited i’m excited to see uh what Nick will bring here to Sacramento we got the opportunity to have a brief kind of Zoom press conference with Nick i posted the full thing to my Twitter account if you want to listen to it but here are in my opinion his best moments his be the best questions and his best answers from uh his Zoom press conference with the Sacramento media i didn’t expect to be in Sack Town at all like that was probably one of the least expected places I thought just cuz they didn’t have a pick obviously in the first round so uh definitely surprised me but you know I was super excited i got to meet with them at the combine and build that relationship and you know I’m super excited to get there and get to work and be a part of that culture hey Nate uh James Ham ESPN 1320 um one of the uh the player comps for you is uh actually the Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie uh what is that what what does that kind of mean for you and uh do you agree with that player comp if you’ve ever watched Doug play no I’ve I’ve heard that comp before and you know I definitely he’s a wellrespected player and I’m super excited to just be able to go there and learn from him get to pick his brain because you know he was a such a great player but I need to do more homework honestly and watch more film because I have heard that before but I I need to do my research and I’m somewhat familiar with his game but I I definitely want to watch more and start to learn from him now especially that I’m going to be working with him every day hey Nick Matt George ABC10 welcome to Sacramento my guy first and foremost uh can you I mean I know you talked about being surprised by the Kings taking you but to have them trade up to go and get you I mean what is that that feeling like knowing that they were willing to spend some future assets to make sure you were a king no it’s so much love man so much love and I got the ultimate respect and appreciation for them to even consider doing that because that just shows the belief they have in me and it just makes me want to give everything I got to the organization um you know I’m gonna spend so much time in that gym and just trying to perfect my craft and put on the best performance every night being a consistent dude for for the team like that’s ultimately what I want to do and just help win and build build that culture in the program uh congratulations uh Jeremiah Solomon of Sports Service um I’m just curious uh obviously Sacramento surprised you but um what do you know about the team the city um just the organization uh what do you know about the Kings going into going into this no and especially from even what I’ve heard just now but just a great culture to be a part of i’ve heard the fan base is crazy like it’s one of the only sports teams they got out there so they’re going to give everything they got to the the organization so I’m super excited to be a part of that and then the team obviously has a lot of talent a lot of great veteran players d Rozan Lavine um Sabonis so a lot of guys I can learn from and just pick their brains so I’m going to have great vests around me and you know I just want to be a part of that that winning culture i want to I want to light that beam a lot of times today’s episode of the Lockdown Kings podcast is also brought to you by Wayfair there is nothing like stepping into your own outdoor space and feeling like you’ve escaped to a personal oasis if 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quality delivery even on the biggest of objects is fast super easy free hassle-free right it’s a big deal especially if you get some of those big outdoor patio sets or an outdoor table or whatever they will bring it to you and handle all that for you so you don’t have to worry so don’t wait make your outdoor space your dream oasis right now with Wayfair and enjoy it all summer long head to wayfair.com to shop a huge outdoor selection and that’s wayfair w afir.com wayfair every style every home we wrapped up our night at the Golden One Center inside the Kings practice facility talking to Kings general manager Scott Perry i’m excited to play the best moments from that press conference for you again you can go on my Twitter account if you want to listen to the full press conference these are just uh most of the the best questions and the best clips uh for you and that’s also where I’m going to leave you on this podcast now of course tomorrow is round two the Kings still have their second round pick we’ll see what they do there since we last talked there’s a lot of rumblings around Dennis Schroeder as the Kings main target at this point in time to be their point guard going forward i have my thoughts on that i’ll share I’ll share with you why I feel it makes a lot of sense even if it’s underwhelming i’ve heard a lot of things on that front as well so I’m happy to share that information with you plus more on the Malik Monk trade watch or Demard Rosen trade watch we got a ton still to get to this offseason and we haven’t even gotten to like Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis’s contract extensions the deadline for Keon the decision for Keon is coming up pretty quickly here so there’s a ton that’s going to be coming at us as very quickly not to mention free agency begins here in just a few days there’s a lot going on so buckle up and get ready for this Sacramento Kings off seasonason to really truly get underway draft night was fun please enjoy my conversation or excuse me our press conference i can’t take full credit for it but you’ll hear I had a couple fun moments with Scott please enjoy Scott Perry’s press conference and his comments after his first draft or round one of the draft as the general manager of the Sacramento Kings you know I said to you all in my initial press conference that the one of the most important things that I wanted to get accomplished this year is to establish an identity of what it means to be a Sacramento Kings basketball player and so going into draft prep and I just been here two months that has been our mission what we’ve worked towards each and every day as a staff as a group to find players who are going to fit that identity as a reminder things that are important that we’re going to value here competitive tough team oriented accountable disciplined and professional and so you know with that we selected a young man tonight by the name of Nick Clifford from Colorado State who we believe displays and lives a lot of those values uh that are important to us so we’re excited about that obviously we were able to to uh take advantage and move into this draft into the first round we came into the night with not having the first round pick but we were fortunate enough that we were able to get something done he was a guy that we really targeted we had a really good grade on and so we feel like we uh were fortunate to get there and get him he’s very versatile as a player uh he’s a two-way player you’ve heard me say that before and you’re going to hear me say that a lot guy that plays both sides of the uh the floor and that’s important to what we want to get established here he’s improved each and every year throughout his career he’s an improving three-point shooter uh so again we’re excited to get him in the Kings uniform and and uh help develop him watch him grow and I’m sure for the fan base here in Sacramento you’ll find what a quality young man he is the more you get to know him and that’s important to us as well someone who wants to be here and is going to assimilate himself very well into the culture here in Sacramento so with that being said I will open up to some some questions hi Scott how you doing good how you doing good um was uh so was Nick kind of the guy that you had your eye on were there were there a number of guys that you were watching to fall to a certain range walk us through how this kind of happened he obviously he was one of the key guys that we looked at there there were a number of players that we did like in the draft but again in terms of fitting the identity he was a small group of guys that uh we had really had identified and we were just fortunate enough to be able to get in in that position to get him and one of the things I said to to all of you in the beginning too when I first got here we were going to be very prudent and opportunistic so uh it it all you know worked out tonight we again we put a lot of effort into uh studying this draft and kind of finding out where we thought people may go and uh really kind of surprised he dropped really to to where he did but happy that he did and uh again just excited to get to work with him scott walking walking into the building did you enter today with the intention of of moving into the first round at what point when you noticed Nick would potentially be there did you feel like you have to start making calls to pouncing uh in intention is a strong word but again like I said being uh prudent and opportunistic I think if it presented itself we were going to be ready and you know one of the things you do over the couple months you you know we talk to every team in the league and you get uh there’s a lot of chatter that goes in and around the draft as you all know and and you in the podcast world for sure i’m sure Matt keeps up with that and so um we were prepared though for it and so we weren’t going to be reckless so it had to be someone that we really thought was worthy of moving into the first round uh to go get that we we feel like could help our basketball team uh not only in the short term but as we move forward as we continue to build out this roster and this organization scott uh when you look at Meek and how he fits into your roster can you just dive into that for us as well and the fact that he’s a five-year guy 23 years old did that that factor into you guys to take him tonight one thing for me that’s always been important and uh is a guy’s production and his arc of improvement and uh I think he’s demonstrated both of those things and I know we live in a world now where a lot of the players that are selected high in the draft usually are you know one and done and um people you know don’t want to pass on the potential of a lot of the great young players but for me uh getting a guy like this who is ready both mentally and physically to maybe step on the basketball court this coming season I think is important now obviously he’s going to have to come here and earn his stripes and show that he’s worthy of that but uh I really believe that he is up to the challenge uh enjoy really getting a chance to spend time with him and talk with him when we were in Chicago he was one of the the young men we were able to interview and get the chance to meet so uh felt like you know had a good handle on him and so uh looking forward to to working with him scott when you bring up Doug u one of the player comps for Nick is Doug Christie um do you see that do you see the type of player that Doug was when he was in the pros and how do you think that that will help they look alike don’t they that’s one way uh there’s some similarities for sure you know I’m trying to I’m dating back into my memory bank remembering Doug’s game a little bit you know obviously Doug was I felt was a very highly conditioned athlete and uh excellent defender and could do a lot of different things on the court um I think so the similarities in terms of defensive versatility yeah I I see that similarity u but I want him to be his own player i’m not when when you get into comparisons I never want to put that type of expectation or pressure on any type of player want him to be himself his natural self now if his natural self ends up looking like Doug Christie then great for us you know um but I want him to be the very best knee Clifford he can be and uh I think this young man is going to give himself a chance to do that scott your first move was the hiring of of Doug Christie this is your first player personnel move i’m just curious from your perspective of hitting the ground running as the GM of the Kings what you think about this this first month and having this be your first player related well this month first couple months have been a whirlwind as as you all know and seem like all the days run together uh two months have really flown by uh for me but every it’s been great it really has been great again working with the entire staff here getting to know one another um you know when I talk about King’s identity it doesn’t doesn’t just extend to the coaches and players on the floor extends to the front office support staff you know we’re trying to build something special here um as a organization and as a team so that’s what I really feel good about i feel like the energy is coming together uh each and every day so and I’m excited that uh to be sitting here who were able to make a move coming into this draft and when I took this job I was set on drafting just a number 42 pick because you never know if you’re able to make a transaction but just the way things happened uh it made sense for us to do that we felt and uh happy about that and so um really feel confident that Nick has a chance to be a contributor here for for the Sacramento Kings

Matt George shares some insight on round 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft, how the Sacramento Kings acquired a first round draft pick, and who they selected in Nique Clifford.

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Details Behind the Sacramento Kings Trading Up for Nique Clifford
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8 Comments

  1. Matt, was Vivek in the War Room? Was he saying that he liked the show Clifford and to get him because of that? That's something Vivek would do.

  2. Matt is the true definition of panicking. The finals just ended and the offseason just started and he’s already acting as if demar can’t get traded 😂

  3. Lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Ill call that a great pick for a top 15 protected first🎉🎉

  4. There are some encouraging things about Nique Clifford.

    1. His dad naming him after Dominique Wilkins.
    2. His favorite player being Kobe Bryant.

    I know it doesn't sound like it should matter. But, if Nique Clifford works half as hard as Kobe, he is going to have a damn good career.

    He talked about Mamba mentality. That is a big deal to me. He is prepared to work hard.

    I don't know his talent level or ceiling, but it is an encouraging sign to see that if he can be someone who works hard, he might be a damn good player.

    His namesake is a Hall of Fame player. Kobe Bryant is one of the top 15 players of all time.

    As for DeMar DeRozan, I think he is going to get moved. I see the Kings being very busy with the second round and between free agency and the deadline.

    I think Malik Monk is going to be gone. The Kings have too many needs.

    But so do the Miami Heat. Which my understanding, DeMar DeRozan is their backup plan.

    So, I wouldn't be shocked if the Miami Heat called today or tomorrow to try and get DeRozan.

    Now, I do think that Monk is going to leave first. Which, needs to happen. This team has needs at PG and PF. I can see going after John Collins in Utah now that he exercised his option.

    If the Kings go for Dennis Schroeder at the point with the mid-level exemption, I can see trading for rotation players in Miami and then trying to get John Collins in Utah for Malik Monk.

    It definitely becomes a deeper team if they can get Collins and Dennis Schroeder.

    Then it is just the biannual exemption to sign someone else.

    This team might be a good team next season if that is how it plays out. I am not saying a great team, but at least good enough to make the playoffs.

    Now, yes. They have to move DeRozan to make this next team happen. I think it can happen.

    I think the Heat is the obvious trade partner for DeRozan. That could happen today or it could happen during the summer or it could happen as the trade deadline.

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