DeMar DeRozan to Toronto? A Longtime Raptors Insider Explains Why It Probably Won’t Happen

DeMar DeRozan back in a Raptors uniform sounds like a storybook ending. He started his career in Toronto as the ninth overall pick in 2009, became a four-time All-Star, and led the franchise through some of its most memorable playoff runs. After two years with the Kings, he was waived by Sacramento a few days ago, and reports surfaced that he’d be open to signing with the Raptors. But Doug Smith, who has covered Toronto since the team’s inception in 1995, isn’t buying it.

Smith laid out the obstacles in plain terms. The biggest one? Role. DeRozan has never come off the bench in Toronto, and Smith wrote that the 36-year-old would be a backup for the first time there. People close to DeRozan have reportedly been working on him to accept that shift, but Smith called it a major career adjustment. DeRozan is about 2,000 points shy of cracking the NBA’s top 10 career scoring list, and not starting — or not having a featured scoring role off the bench — would make that chase a lot harder.

“He’s enough of a team player to do whatever is needed to win, but the change would take some adjustment,” Smith claimed.

Then there’s the money. Toronto can only offer the veteran minimum. That’s not exactly the kind of deal that makes a 36-year-old guard with DeRozan’s resume pack his bags. Creating a roster spot is another hurdle, though Smith noted the situation isn’t totally dead. Just close to it.

DeRozan averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals over nine seasons in Toronto. He was the face of the franchise before the Kawhi Leonard trade, and fans have never quite let go of that connection. A reunion would be emotional, nostalgic, maybe even healing for some people. But emotion doesn’t create cap space or carve out minutes in a rotation that already has Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Gradey Dick eating up wing and guard time.

Smith has seen enough Raptors iterations to know when a story is more wish than reality. He didn’t say it’s impossible. He said the realities are working against it. That’s not cold water. That’s just the truth with a side of pragmatism.