DeRozan says he will be fine with any Lowry decision as long he’s told about it
By Nam Tran
DeMar DeRozan would be fine with Kyle Lowry leaving the Raptors as long as Lowry tells him the decision ahead of time.
Now, this is a true friendship. The Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan will not try to influence Kyle Lowry to re-sign with Toronto and will respect any decision that his friend makes.
DeRozan spoke with The Score on Wednesday and said that if Lowry were to leave the Raptors for another team, then as long as the three-time All-Star point guard tells him the decision ahead of time, he will be “completely fine with it.”
"“As long as he tells me, and I don’t have to read it, I’m completely fine with it,” DeRozan told the Score on Wednesday, when asked how he’d react to the worst-case scenario of Lowry departing Toronto.“If he comes to me as a man and tells me it’s time to move on, I’ll respect it. It’s just the choices in life we have to deal with. You’re kind of more accepting when somebody close to you like that tells you before they do something, so you’re not surprised just like everybody else. As a friend – me calling myself his friend – I have to just respect it.”"
DeRozan and Lowry have a long storied history together beginning in 2012 when Lowry joined the Raptors. The two grew as players together and helped each other out while they were doing so. They became All-Stars together and broke Raptors’ records together. And as they evolved as players, they also made their team better.
In the past four seasons, they helped the Raptors become perennial attendees in the playoffs. Additionally, they led Toronto to two 50-plus win seasons and to become contenders in the Eastern Conference in the past two seasons.
Next: NBA Draft 2017: Grades for all 30 teams
Early last month, Lowry said that he would opt out of the final year of his contract with the Raptors and become a free agent. If he decides to stay in Toronto, he will be eligible for a five-year deal worth around $200 million.