DeMar DeRozan has mutual interest with 1 notable team

Kawhi Leonard might not be the only player having a reunion up north this summer.

Free agent forward DeMar DeRozan would “welcome” a return to the Toronto Raptors under the right circumstances, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reported on Tuesday. Smith adds that the Raptors front office has also been thinking about the possibility of reuniting with DeRozan “for some time.”

DeRozan, who turns 37 next month, is a free agent after being released by the Sacramento Kings earlier this month. Meanwhile, DeRozan’s history with the Raptors speaks for itself.

The veteran DeRozan was originally a Toronto draft pick back in 2009 (No. 9 overall). He spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Raptors and also earned four All-Star selections and two All-NBA nods while with Toronto.

But DeRozan’s time with the Raptors did end unceremoniously after he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Leonard in 2018. Toronto then went on to win their first and only championship in franchise history in 2019, much to the chagrin of DeRozan, who said publicly that he was unhappy about the way he was treated by the Raptors.

That said, former Raptors president Masai Ujiri (the man responsible for trading DeRozan) is no longer with the team and now holds the same position with the Dallas Mavericks. Though DeRozan has interest from a couple of other interesting landing spots, the allure of a return to the 905 has to be pretty significant (provided that he is willing to accept a reduced role and/or a veteran’s minimum salary).