The Toronto Raptors' relationship with DeMar DeRozan has been quite complicated. The franchise won a championship, but they had to sacrifice DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard trade to do it.
In the process, Kyle Lowry has become the greatest Raptor in franchise history in the eyes of many. DeRozan was arguably better than Lowry during their time together and was actually drafted by the team, but since Lowry was the one there at the finish line he gets an obvious leg up on his best friend.
When Kyle Lowry was announced as the first ever Raptors player to have his jersey retired, DeRozan posted a rather telling Instagram post that seemed to hint at his palpable dissatisfaction.
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To have the Raptors opt for a symbolic gesture for Lowry is one thing, but to have the franchise openly admit this must be hard for DeRozan to hear. That's exactly what Raptors president Masai Ujiri did when he spoke of Kyle Lowry's departure from the team in a recent press conference.
Via Blake Murphy of The Athletic:
“It’s been really tough for us to see an incredible player like that go… Kyle is part of this family and will be part of this family forever…He’s going to get all of everything and then some.., Kyle is the best Raptor.”
Ujiri cont: “We wish him all the best where he is. He’s in great hands in Miami…we just hope we beat them four times a year.”
“Kyle is part of this family and will be part of this family forever…He’s going to get all of everything and then some..,Kyle is the best Raptor.”
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 18, 2021
At the end of the day, DeMar DeRozan is definitely happy for his Raptors buddy Kyle Lowry. There's no bad blood between the two. But you can't say that it shouldn't sting just a little bit for DeRozan with how things all happened. Derozan will eventually get his praised and recognition from the franchise, but for now he'll have to wait quietly until that moment.
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