Toronto Raptors Must Re-Sign DeMar DeRozan To Remain Eastern Conference Contenders

DeMar DeRozan is one of the brightest young stars in the NBA and has led his Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals this season. He is set to hit open free agency in the offseason, but there have been rumors about him wanting to leave Toronto to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. That may end up happening, but the Raptors have to do everything they can to bring him back.

Looking ahead at the upcoming offseason, the Raptors need to bring DeRozan back if they want to remain Eastern Conference contenders.

Throughout the course of the 2015-16 NBA season, DeRozan averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He shot 44.6 percent from the field overall and knocked down 33.8 percent from behind the three-point arc. Those numbers were impressive to say the least, and at 26 years old there is still more room for DeRozan to grow.

Toronto finished the season as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They were able to compile a 56-26 record throughout the regular season, which is yet another sign of the growth that DeRozan and the Raptors have made over the past few seasons.

Why wouldn’t the Raptors remain at the top of the Eastern Conference if DeRozan leaves in free agency?

Quite simply, Kyle Lowry’s inconsistency has been seen throughout the course of his career. He was a star for the Raptors during the regular season, but has had a very rough time in the postseason. Lowry has played much better over the past week, but has still had consistency problems.

Jonas Valanciunas is a very talented big man, but he is not capable of being a No. 1 or No. 2 scorer. DeMarre Carroll is primarily a defensive stopper and certainly isn’t a top scoring option. Outside of DeRozan and Lowry, the Raptors do not have any dangerous offensive weapons.

There has been a lot of criticism about the volume of shots that DeRozan has taken this postseason. To those that believe he is taking too many shots, the obvious answer is to look at head coach Dwane Casey. He is asking DeRozan to take those shots as the leader of the team and the Raptors are winning even with his shooting numbers being a bit low.

Leadership wasn’t part of DeRozan’s game early on in his career, but he has been improving in recent years. He still isn’t a vocal player on-the-court, but he has earned respect from his teammates.

Toronto will not have an easy time affording the type of contract that DeRozan will be wanting. They could have up to $32.4 million in cap space, which might be enough to keep DeRozan. If they choose to spend their space on DeRozan, however, adding other pieces would be out of the question for more than a minimum contract.

Allowing a young star to get away is never an easy decision for a team to make. In the Raptors’ case, it is a move that they cannot afford to make. Without DeRozan on the roster, the Raptors will lose their star scorer to go along with a growing leader and fan favorite.

Taking a look at DeRozan’s side of things, leaving Toronto is not necessarily a great decision for him either. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side and high-level free agents have regretted leaving their teams in the past.

All of that being said, expect to hear plenty of rumors surrounding DeRozan this coming offseason. Toronto must find a way to bring him back, although that is much easier said than done.

Do you think the Toronto Raptors should do everything in their power to re-sign DeMar DeRozan? Who do you think would be the best fit for DeRozan in free agency? Let us know in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/David Zalubowski]