DeMar DeRozan On NBA Free Agency: ‘My Mindset Has Always Been Toronto’

The 2015-16 NBA season is officially over for the Toronto Raptors. Despite putting up a fight against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors simply didn’t have enough in the end with DeMar DeRozan and company falling short in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

After taking the Raptors all the way to the East Finals for the first time in franchise history, DeRozan is faced with a tough decision heading into the NBA offseason. DeRozan will become an unrestricted free agent this summer with plenty of teams expected to come calling as of July 1.

Although the speculation and rumors have been floating around for quite some time about DeRozan’s intentions in free agency, the veteran guard claims he’s been thinking about re-signing with the Raptors the entire time, via ESPN:

“I don’t think so,” DeRozan said Saturday. “My mindset has always been Toronto. I’ve always preached it. I was passionate about it when we were losing, when we were terrible. I said I was going to stick through this whole thing, and I want to be that guy who brings this organization to where it is now. I definitely don’t want to switch that up after we win.”

DeRozan re-signing with Toronto seems to be the safe bet for the All-Star. The Los Angeles Lakers will likely reach out to gauge his interest in returning to his hometown to play in purple and gold, but after a career year and finally getting the Raptors on track, it doesn’t seem wise to pick and move back for a rebuilding process in Los Angeles.

Along with the Lakers, there will be a few other teams likely to join the hunt for DeRozan this summer. No other suitors have emerged as of yet, but after an impressive performance in the postseason, the veteran guard will receive some much-deserved interest around the league.