Former USC star, Compton native signs with Denver Nuggets

See more of our coverage in your search results.

Former Compton native and USC Trojans basketball star DeMar DeRozan is set to start his next journey. A member of the Denver Nuggets.

According to reports from NBA insider Chris Haynes, DeRozan plans on signing a deal with the Nuggets.

ESPN NBA Insider Sham Charania added that the deal will be for one year and is valued at $3.9 million.

Haynes noted that DeRozan “has been in conversations with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and is anxious for the opportunity to play for a contending team.”

Before being waived by the Sacramento Kings last month, he spent the last two seasons with the team, where he averaged 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Growing up, DeRozan attended Compton High School from 2004-2008 and was heavily recruited by USC.

After graduating high school, he enrolled at USC and played basketball for them for one season before he was selected with the No.9 overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

DeRozan had an iconic season with the Trojans that is still talked about to this day, as he led them to a Pac-10 tournament finale and the second round of the March Madness tournament.

During the PAC-10 tournament, he put on a clinic, as he was crowned the tournament’s MVP, notable because he scored 25 points on 10 of 16 shots against Arizona State in the finale.

He spent the first nine years of his career with Toronto until he was traded by the team so that they could acquire Kawhi Leonard for the 2019 season.

DeRozan’s No.10 was retired by USC in February, 2020, while his No.23 was retired by Compton High School in 2015.

DeRozan remains active to this day with his former schools, as he is still making contributions to improving the conditions for the Compton basketball team, which recently went through an entire makeover, as the school was completely reconstructed in 2025.