The Toronto Raptors are having another excellent start to their season at 24-15, and their success comes in large part due to their outstanding backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan is currently the tenth leading scorer in the NBA at 22.9 points per game, and could be in line for his second All-Star appearance in a Raptors uniform. But fans in Toronto may be a bit nervous that he will look to cash in elsewhere come free agency time this summer.
DeRozan has a $10.5 million player option for the 2016-17 season, but with the TV rights deal coming in to bump the salary cap up to an estimated $90 million this summer, it seems unlikely DeRozan will opt in.
However, the good news for Raptors’ faithful is that even if DeRozan does opt out, he has stated that he is committed to staying in Toronto for the long-term.
DeRozan went on The Jeff Blair Show in Canada on Friday, and he made it clear to host Joey Vendetta that he is intent on staying up north.
“That’s one you thing you can never question: my loyalty to the city. How much I really love and appreciate the team and the organization. I think all the fans understand that. A lot of times they don’t understand how contracts or things like that. But I’ve always stressed that this is where I want to be my whole career.”
“Since Day One in Toronto, I’ve been so prideful of the city and the country.”
On the front office end, Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri told Prime TV sports that he is confident, as well, that DeRozan will re-sign.
“A new contract is what DeMar is going for and we feel we have a good shot. This is his team, this is a team that he knows very well, loves the city, is well-loved here, and we can offer him a year extra. There are so many things, so we feel comfortable.”
Things can obviously change between now and July, but it sure seems like you can cross DeRozan off the list of potential big-name free agents who could switch teams in what promises to be a wild offseason.
(SportsNet; H/T CBS Sports)
