With most believing the Los Angeles Lakers are long-shots at best to land Kevin Durant in free agency, many have turned towards Toronto Raptors wing DeMar DeRozan as the Lakers’ best chance at bringing in a star this off-season.
A Compton native, DeRozan will opt-out of his contract this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent, and there have been rumors, some even started by people close to DeRozan, that the two-time All-Star is looking to come home to Los Angeles.
DeRozan’s season ended on Friday night as the Raptors fell in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Afterwards, DeRozan spoke about his impending free agency, saying he doesn’t believe he can find a better situation than Toronto via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports:
Can DeRozan find a better situation than Toronto? "I don't think so. My mindset has always been Toronto… I don't want to switch it up now"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 28, 2016
DeRozan also dismissed the idea of playing in his hometown as a major appeal via Lewenberg:
Asked about LA, DeRozan said its his home but "Only thing appealing to me is the things Ive done in this organization & the things I can do"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 28, 2016
In the heat of the moment, after a tough end to the season, it isn’t surprising to hear DeRozan say something like this. Once he takes some time away, it wouldn’t be surprising if DeRozan has different thoughts.
At the same time, however, the Raptors are coming off of their best season in the history of the franchise and were only two wins away from a trip to the NBA Finals. DeRozan is known to be fond of the city of Toronto and he is extremely close with backcourt-mate Kyle Lowry.
As it stands now, DeRozan is anything but a guarantee to sign with the Lakers this summer, and he will surely be courted by a number of teams once free agency begins. The Lakers will likely do everything they can to convince him to join, but if this is how he feels, he may be staying up north.