San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan was a foundational member of the Toronto Raptors squad right before they won the title. Everyone knows that before he left the North, his squad was repeatedly thwarted by a certain LeBron James.
In a recent appearance on the All The Smoke podcat with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, the All-Star admitted to feeling a bit salty he got traded instead of getting a shot at the LeBron-less East. DeRozan tallied a 2-12 overall record against LeBron James-led teams during his time with the Raptors. But with the King on the West coast, he believed things could've been different.
It made things especially tough for DeRozan not be a part of Toronto's first ever championship squad.
“Bron decides to go to L.A., so we like sh*t. He’s the only person we ain’t lost to, maybe we have one more chance at this thing. That kind of eased our mind for a second cause there’s only like one motherf***ker we weren’t able to get past,” the former Raptors star said.
“We bout to at least run it back on more time and give it a shot. That was our mindset.”
The Raptors were basically mounted on Kawhi Leonard's shoulders, booking a trip to the 2019 NBA Finals and emerging victorious over the Golden State Warriors.
After nine years with the Raptors, a ring could have been a fitting end to all the disappointing playoff exits that DeRozan and his squad suffered over the years. Despite missing out on the opportunity, DeRozan will forever be shown love for his time in Toronto and be credited for at least bridging the franchise towards their first title.
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