The Toronto Raptors may be considering another reunion with one of the most important players in franchise history.
According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, DeMar DeRozan would welcome a return to Toronto “if everything works out.” Smith reports that the Raptors have been thinking about the possibility for some time and that the two sides have already spoken.
DeRozan is available after being waived by the Sacramento Kings earlier this month. The 36-year-old averaged 18.4 points and 4.1 assists last season while shooting 49.7 percent from the field. Even at this stage of his career, he remains a dependable half-court scorer who can create his own shot, get to his preferred spots and calm an offense when possessions begin to break down.
Toronto also would not be bringing back an ordinary former player.
DeRozan spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Raptors after they selected him ninth overall in the 2009 draft. He became a four-time All-Star in Toronto and helped transform the franchise from an afterthought into a regular playoff team alongside Kyle Lowry.
His first Toronto chapter ended painfully in 2018, when the Raptors traded him to San Antonio in the deal for Kawhi Leonard. The move delivered the 2019 championship, but it also separated the franchise from a player who had repeatedly expressed loyalty to the city and expected to remain there.
A return would therefore carry plenty of emotion, but Toronto would still need to make the basketball fit work.
DeRozan is no longer the franchise centerpiece who once carried the Raptors’ offense. Kawhi Leonard is back… maybe… and Scottie Barnes represents the present and future, while Toronto has continued building around a younger core. DeRozan would likely need to accept a smaller role, perhaps as a veteran scorer who could stabilize bench units and close certain games.
That role could make sense. Toronto sometimes needs someone capable of manufacturing a respectable shot when the offense stalls, and few players of his generation have been better at creating something from the midrange. His leadership and familiarity with the market would also give a young locker room an experienced voice who genuinely understands what playing for the Raptors means.
The concerns are equally obvious. DeRozan is not a high-volume three-point shooter, and his defensive limitations could complicate lineups for a team trying to establish a more athletic, versatile identity. The contract would have to reflect his age and role rather than his place in franchise history.
Still, some reunions are too natural to dismiss.
Kyle Lowry recently returned to retire as a Raptor. Kawhi Leonard has again become central to Toronto’s plans. Now the player who helped build the bridge between the franchise’s difficult early years and its championship era may also be considering a trip home.
