NBA Free Agency: These six teams are interested in DeMar DeRozan

There are as many as six teams interested in DeMar DeRozan, even after he recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Toronto Raptors.

When it comes to NBA free agency, no player is safe. That was most certainly the case when Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan expressed his interest in remaining with Toronto, and stated that he hasn’t even met with another team. But in the wake of that statement, six teams have reported to express interest in DeRozan’s services.

Those six teams, as relayed by Sam Amick of USA Today, are the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic.

Perhaps it’s only fitting that six teams would be interested in him considering the city he plays in, but ever since he was drafted by the Raptors in 2009, he’s never known what it’s like to play for any other team.

He was a very inconsistent performer in the playoffs, going from 32 points in both wins against Cleveland to 14 points on 2-of-8 shooting in Game 5 of that series. But he was still at the center of the best Raptors team in franchise history, and he was rewarded for his hard work with a spot on Team USA’s Olympic Team alongside his friend Kyle Lowry.

While seeing the Warriors express interest makes no sense, it’s not surprising to see the Lakers there after a rumor floated during the playoffs that he wanted to sign there, while Magic Johnson tweeted that they should go after him and Kevin Durant while he was still part of the organization.

But the Raptors should still be favorites to sign him since they own DeRozan’s Bird rights and can give him a five-year deal as opposed to a four-year deal, which can amount to a difference of as much as $39 million. Drafting Jakob Poeltl was a sign that the Raptors were preparing for life without Bismack Biyombo, but it looks like they’ll be going all in on retaining their All-Star shooting guard.

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