Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan’s Future Becoming Clear
DeMar DeRozan is the top-rated shooting guard to hit the market this summer, but it looks as if he will be staying put.
As one of the most anticipated free agency period continues to loom, one of the big names on that market, DeMar DeRozan, gave a hint on which team will have his services for the future: the Toronto Raptors.
This is clearly speculation, but DeRozan made a comment on the Dan LeBatard Show that would indicate his intentions to remain with the Raptors when asked about his upcoming free agency:
"“Ask my guy Kyle Lowry, he already knows the answer,” DeRozan claimed."
This doesn’t clearly state that he will return to Toronto, but if he had other plans, he likely wouldn’t have had that type of response. For much of this season, there were rumblings that DeRozan was considering signing with another team this summer, more specifically for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
Those assumptions simmered down after the Raptors’ success in the playoffs, as they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. DeRozan led the team in scoring throughout the postseason with 20.9 points per game to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
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During the regular season, he averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game with a 21.5 Player Efficiency Rating.
He and Lowry have developed a great chemistry over the past couple of seasons both on and off the court. If DeRozan decided to leave, it would give the notion that he was turning his back on Lowry and all they have created in Toronto, which is a true playoff contender.
Los Angeles would be an attractive landing spot for DeRozan, not only because it’s his hometown, but also because they will have one of the most exciting cores the NBA can offer.
On the flip side, DeRozan will be entering his eighth season as a professional (all with Toronto) and they have finally inserted themselves in the contender conversation, so why would he give that up to possibly take a step back and waiting for the young players to develop in Los Angeles? Not to mention it will take years before the Lakers are true contenders in the stacked Western Conference.
If it’s money that DeRozan is concerned about, Toronto will have the room to throw a max contract his way, but it may mean crippling them to do much else besides a veteran’s minimum contract and a mini mid-level exception.
The Raptors pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to six games in the conference finals. If that doesn’t show sign for optimism for the future, then nothing will. An addition of a star player to form a big three next to DeRozan and Lowry would be ideal, but impossible with their current cap situation.
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Take a look at it this way: The Raptors had a chance this season to represent the East in the Finals. DeRozan can’t up and leave a situation like that especially if it means taking a step backward.
And it doesn’t seem like he will.