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Raptors Rumors: DeMar DeRozan as a trade target

By Kevin Nimmock

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At his end of season press conference, Masai Ujiri said he would do anything and everything to make sure the Toronto Raptors do not have to face another first round loss against a lower seeded team. That has happened twice in two years, and the fans, players, coaching staff and front office executives are starting to get a little fed up.

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When the Raptors were beaten by the Brooklyn Nets in 2014, there was a lot of hype about what the Raps would be able to do in the future. The team narrowly lost, showing a lot of potential. For that reason, Ujiri decided to pretty well keep the entire roster in Canada. The plan was to see what the team could do with another year of experience.

Well, it didn’t go as planned. The Raptors recorded a franchise-best 49 win season, but it means very little since they lost in four games to the Washington Wizards in round one. Now, it looks as though even the team’s nucleus is not entirely protected. According to Sports World Report, Ujiri may be shopping around DeMar DeRozan as a possible trade partner to the right bidder.

According to the site, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas are protected, but DeRozan is considered the most tradable. This makes a lot of sense, since DeRozan is still fairly young at 25-years-old and he had a solid ending to the 2014/15 season. Plus, he did not fall apart in the playoffs nearly as much as Lowry.

To the right team, DeRozan could be a very interesting trade chip. I am not convinced he is a franchise player yet, but he has the upside to become one in the right system. According to Sports World Report, the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls have all shown interest in DeRozan.

If Ujiri was going to trade DeRozan, it would have to be for the right star at the right moment. This can’t be a replica of the Rudy Gay trade, where the Raptors receive a bunch of pieces for one player (*Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy were almost entirely worthless in the context of the trade). DeRozan is too valuable for that.

DeRozan would be a hard player to lose, but fans would forgive Ujiri if he brought a major star to town. It is hard to predict who Ujiri would target with a trade, but it is clear that the Raptors need to get better defensively. At the very least, the team would need to acquire a strong two-way player, preferably at the power forward spot.

Overall, this is just a rumor, but we will be sure to keep our eyes on DeRozan as the summer progresses.

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