DeMar DeRozan gave the Raptors and the city of Toronto everything he had for nine seasons. They never achieved the ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship or even made it to the NBA Finals, but that won't diminish DeRozan's legacy in Toronto.
The 28-year-old guard 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steal per game on 44.8 percent shooting across 675 career games with Canada's lone NBA team. Last season, he had arguably his best all around season, averaging 23.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 three-pointers per game. He went to four All-Star Games and was named All-NBA twice. There's no doubt that DeRozan left it all out on the court while he donned the Raptors jersey.
Earlier today, reports surfaced that DeRozan recently met with Raptors brass in Las Vegas during the NBA's Summer League, and he was told he won't be traded. Toronto's decision to trade DeRozan after ensuring him that he would not be going anywhere was bad enough, but their lack of any kind of “thank you” message in their press release about the trade is incredibly telling, and something that NBA players have kept an eye on, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN via Twitter.
Perhaps this was just an oversight on the part of a public relations staffer. Maybe they are preparing to release a longer statement thanking DeRozan and wishing him well. Regardless, the organization has not done any of this yet. The Raptors reminded everyone that the NBA is a business and everyone is dispensable. But it's still a nice gesture to release a statement expressing thanks after trading away the franchise player.
From a public relations standpoint, the organization is handling this trade poorly. Whether or not they won the basketball aspect of the trade remains to be seen. It certainly looks like they made a great deal for the uber-talented Kawhi Leonard. But regardless, they are not coming out of this deal with a squeaky clean reputation around the league.
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