DeMar DeRozan finds his Toronto Raptors in a hole against the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers in the playoffs and now his name has come up in talks about the Los Angeles Lakers.
What a time, right? If a team is ever to swoop in and steal DeRozan, this summer is it. The Raptors haven’t managed to escape the first round of the playoffs since 2000 and after a Game 1 upset at the hands of the Pacers, the team might be on the way to another epic first-round loss—a stunner that would make things quite interesting indeed.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is the one to suggest the DeRozan-Lakers connection, and love him or hate him, the guy does have his ear to the ground more than most when it comes to the Association.
The leap isn’t that hard to make, either. DeRozan is sure to opt out of his contract this summer as he has full bird rights and he can force the Raptors to ink him to a max deal. He deserves it, too, considering he’s 26 years old and averaging 23.5 points, 4.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game this year.
And the Lakers? Great fit. Kobe Bryant is finally gone, meaning DeRozan could act as the star out West while playing next to D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt, getting Julius Randle involved underneath and even playing with what should be a top-five pick.
The only problem is DeRozan has made it quite clear he wants to remain with the Raptors, as he told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein back in February:
“My whole mindset has always been this is home for me,” DeRozan said in an interview that will air in full on Saturday’s Meet the All-Stars show on ESPN Radio at 5:30 p.m. “I never think otherwise unless it’s brought up to me, or you see things, or people ask you about certain things.
Still, things can change in a hurry, especially if a team makes another embarassing first-round exit.
If it turns out the Raptors are nothing more than a regular-season monster incapable of playing well when it matters most, becoming the franchise centerpiece of a franchise like the Lakers gets more attractive the longer it remains a possibility.
So while folks focus on the Raptors in the playoffs, keep in mind what an upset could do and just how much DeRozan deciding to leave town could shake up the Association as a whole.