NBA Rumors: DeMar DeRozan hints he’s staying with Raptors
By Tom West
We can’t know where DeMar DeRozan will sign when NBA free agency begins just yet, but he’s hinted in a recent interview that he’s staying with the Toronto Raptors.
DeMar DeRozan had the best regular season of his career with another All-Star appearance and a career-high 23.5 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting. He lacks a reliable three-point shot and he still takes too many long jumpers for the rate he makes them at, but he can create his own shot, drive, he’s seriously athletic, and he can ultimately put up points. With the NBA salary cap rising to $92 million and so many teams ready to splash out, DeRozan is one of the hottest commodities available.
He’ll likely receive plenty of offers, and while his name has been attached to a bunch of teams, we often overlook the likelihood of him simply re-signing with the Toronto Raptors. And as he hinted on a recent interview, that could very well be the case.
Sure, DeRozan may have told Lowry “I’m out of here,” but that seems like a strange comment to reveal to the media so in advance of free agency if that’s the case. When spoken with such confidence and prompting people to ask Lowry about the future, it sounds an awful lot like DeRozan was hinting that he’s decided to stay in Toronto.
By all accounts, with a 56-win season and having their best playoff run in franchise history with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, DeRozan has plenty of motivation to stay put. Plus, that guy Lowry he mentioned is an All-Star teammate and friend that’s worth playing with.
For all the players about to get overpaid due to the rising market, DeRozan is one who will benefit the most, likely heading towards a max contract wherever he ends up. Because when this much money is ready to be thrown around, the obvious flaws of his game and 39.4 percent shooting in the playoffs won’t be enough to keep desperate teams from holding back with their offers.
There will be repercussions for the Raptors if they re-sign DeRozan to a max deal, though. Many are expecting Bismack Biyombo to make around $17 million a year (currently on $3 million) after his impressive playoff performance, which means the Raptors can probably only hope to keep one without gutting the rest of their team, and that really isn’t a route they can take.
We’ll just have to see how this very expensive NBA free agency period plays out.
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