It doesn't sound like DeMar Derozan wants to leave Toronto.
Following the conclusion of the Toronto Raptors‘ 2015-16 season on Friday night, the All-Star swingman made it clear he desires a return to Toronto, via James Herbert of CBS Sports:
“My mindset has always been Toronto. I was passionate about it when we was losing. When we was terrible, I said I'm going to stick through this whole thing.”
DeRozan has been with the franchise since 2009. He has been with the team when they were barely winning 20 games a year and is now the go-to scorer for a team that came within two games of reaching the NBA Finals.
There has been speculation that the 26-year-old will likely sign with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers during free agency. However, he deflected attention away from Los Angeles and continued to stress his attention is on Toronto:
DeRozan was asked how appealing going to LA is pic.twitter.com/CJiGWmA4dB
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) May 28, 2016
Considering the Lakers just went through their worst season in franchise history, it might be tough for DeRozan to leave for a team on the rebuild.
The Raptors will have the upper hand in offering DeRozan a new contract. Toronto will be able to offer him a five-year contract, while other teams will only be able to offer just four years.
All things considered, the Raptors are maybe one piece away from being an NBA Finals team. The Lakers have a long way to go before they can even be considering a viable playoff team.
That will certainly make a difference when DeRozan is deciding where his future belongs during the upcoming summer.
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