DeMar not taking visits, Bismack being patient with Raps
After opting out of his deal with the Raptors this offseason, DeMar DeRozan has made it clear that his main objective is to re-sign with Toronto for next year.
DeRozan has decided not to engage in talks with other suitors and would only open the lines of communication if negotiations with the Raptors somehow fell through. That hasn’t deterred the suitors though, which reportedly include both Los Angeles teams, the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic.
“My mindset has always been Toronto,” DeRozan told reporters after being bounced from the playoffs by Cleveland. “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.”
Toronto fans got skittish after DeRozan opted out, but the Compton native has been adamant on staying in Toronto from Day 1, and knows that although he wants to stay in Toronto he also deserves more money for his efforts, and with the ever-increasing salary cap constantly increasing his value it made sense to opt-out.
One commenter on Instagram pointed this out and DeRozan responded with the answer he’s been offering up from the beginning.
All the while Raps GM Masai Ujiri has promised that their first priority this offseason is resigning DeRozan. This however does pose a conundrum for the front office, as after a stellar playoff performance Bismack Biyombo is heading into the open waters of free agency.
Biyombo is expected to pull in anywhere in the range of $17 mil a year next season, over 5 times as much as the #3 mil/year contract the Raps had him for this past season.
That being said, Biz has stated that he would be willing to take a ‘hometown discount’ with the Raptors, who has enjoyed his time with in Toronto, a town that passionately fell in love with him throughout the season for his tenacity and high-energy.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Biyombo knows that Ujiri will have to work some magic in order to retain both him and DeRozan, and is willing to wait it out while Toronto works on putting DeRozan back in purple and red next year. From Amick:
“According to a person with knowledge of his situation, he will be patient as Toronto works things out with DeRozan as its top priority. Biyombo will have no shortage of suitors should the Raptors blink long enough to lose DeRozan, but there will be no immediate rush to seize the speediest deal.”
The drafting of Utah’s Jakob Poeltl might be an indicator that Toronto anticipates Biyombo heading to greener pastures this year, as the young Austrian is an athletic big man who moves extremely well for his size, and could potentially see minutes at the forward spot very early.
Regardless, having a surplus of athletic length isn’t a problem Toronto is worrying about, and rest assured Masai is working overtime to ensure both DeRozan and Biyombo stay north of the border for next season.
