The Toronto Raptors will have some key decisions to make during a long offseason, including the scope of what this team could be if they shuffle the pieces that so far have proved futile in efforts to make a dent in the Eastern Conference.
DeMar DeRozan has been one of the names swirling the trade market, but as much as he has been been in the middle of rumors, the chances of making that happen are slimmer than most other players at his position.
According to a league executive, DeRozan's contract and fit could make trading him a troublesome proposition, given the very few appealing aspects of acquiring a player, only to tailor an offense around him.
“Three years [in his contract], that’s the big number,” said the executive, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. “They’re going to want a draft pick in a package for him, and there aren’t a lot of teams that are going to include possibly good picks or young players for a guy who is kind of a square peg in today’s league.”
“It’s not saying DeRozan doesn’t have value, it’s just that you’d have to adjust your whole offense for him. You can’t just stick him on the Pelicans, for example, because he wouldn’t pair up with Anthony Davis well. There’s too many obstacles.”
DeRozan has made strides with his 3-point shooting, but not enough to put him in a class with others at the shooting guard position like Bradley Beal or C.J. McCollum, who can be a potential plug-and-play with any team willing to take them and negotiate a trade.
The L.A. native also has three years at $27.3 million each before his player-option kicks in during the 2020-21 season, making it an even more daunting gambit than other potential trade targets.
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