NBA All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan is set to begin his 16th season in the league, his first with the Sacramento Kings. This will be DeRozan’s fourth team, but his legacy is most closely tied to his time with the Toronto Raptors.
In a recent appearance on the JD Bunkis Podcast on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, DeRozan was asked if he would like to finish his career with the Raptors, to which the 35-year-old responded that it would be a “poetic ending.”
“You always want a poetic ending that way,” DeRozan said. “Granted, most people don’t get to write their own ending. But what a better ending than being able to end where you start. Not just end, by just putting up the jersey.
It has to be in a sense of me still being myself.” He further added that he wouldn’t want to return to Toronto only to finish his career as a diminished player, referencing Hakeem Olajuwon’s brief stint with the Raptors at the end of his career.
DeRozan spent nine seasons in Toronto before being traded in the summer of 2018. He, along with Jakob Poeltl and a draft pick, was sent to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
While DeRozan had a productive tenure with the Spurs, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.2 assists over three seasons, his heart remains with Toronto, where he was the Raptors’ 2009 first-round pick and became one of the most beloved players in franchise history.
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In 675 games with the Raptors, DeRozan averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, helping elevate the team to new heights, though he fell just short of winning a championship. He still holds fond memories of his time in Toronto and suggested that a return could make sense as long as he’s able to play at a high level.
Now entering the first season of a three-year, $76.7 million deal with the Kings, DeRozan could potentially finish his career in Toronto when his contract expires, but that decision will depend on how much he has left in the tank as he approaches his late 30s. Whether or not DeRozan returns to the Raptors, his legacy in Toronto remains strong.