It’s sounded like DeMar DeRozan has wanted to return to the Toronto Raptors for some time. Sure, he is a free agent this offseason and teams like the Lakers seem interested in acquiring the 26-year-old guard, but it’s seemed like it would take something drastic for DeRozan to leave the 6.
It now sounds like it would take something even crazier than originally thought for DeRozan to go elsewhere. According to ESPN, DeRozan doesn’t even plan on meeting with other teams once free agency kicks off because his plan is to work out a deal with Toronto.
Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan does not plan to schedule meetings with other teams at the start of free agency, opting to focus on working out a contract to return to the Eastern Conference finalists, a source told ESPN.com.
While there is financial incentive to staying in Toronto – he can get a five-year deal worth $153 million from the Raptors, compared to the max of a four-year deal worth $114 million from every other team – everything that DeRozan has said indicates that he wants to stay in Toronto for reasons other than money. It seems like he legitimately wants to bring a championship to Canada’s only NBA team more than anything else, and while that won’t be easy, DeRozan looks like he’s in it for the long haul.
(ESPN)
