DeMar DeRozan says he hates talking about free agency.
Well, someone is doing it on his behalf.
Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
This confirms that DeRozan isn’t stupid but says little else.
If he opted in, he’d make $10,050,000 next season. He’ll earn much more than that in free agency – maybe even a max contract that starts at more than $25 million.
DeRozan – averaging 22.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game – is having a career year at age 26. With the salary cap skyrocketing and a dearth of quality wings, he’ll have no shortage of suitors.
Will the Raptors re-sign him? They seem to like him, but this core has yet to win a playoff series. If they get bounced in the first-round around again this year, they could break it up.
He’ll be the type of free agent – unrestricted, to be highly paid, coming from a team potentially changing directions – that sometimes gets away.
Still, I’d call Toronto his most likely landing spot. A five-year max contract should run through his prime, so the Raptors face reduced risk of overpaying on the back end. He appears to like Toronto, too.
The Raptors are a good fit for DeRozan, but both sides will at least have an opportunity to explore other options.