The Toronto Raptors are a “confirmed bidder” for free agent DeMar DeRozan, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line — the same Friday report that has Detroit weighing a pursuit of its own, an angle In The Rafters covered Saturday morning.
There is real warmth on the player’s side, too. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reported this week that the two camps have been in contact, citing a source who said DeRozan would welcome a return to Toronto “if everything works out.” But Smith spent most of that same column on the roadblocks: the Raptors can offer only a veteran-minimum contract, and the available role is a modest one for a player who has started nearly every game of his career. Michael Grange of Sportsnet has said several times this month that he considers an agreement unlikely. When the two reporters closest to the team keep arriving at the same conclusion, that consensus deserves as much weight as the bidding itself.
The scouting case is what keeps the conversation alive. DeRozan, 36, is a 17-year veteran and sits 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and his specialty has aged better than most: late-clock shot creation against a set defense. He spent his first nine seasons in Toronto before the 2018 trade to San Antonio that brought Kawhi Leonard and the 2019 banner — which gives a 2026 reunion an obvious symmetry, but symmetry is not a contract.
The timing hinges on a bigger domino. Stein writes that a more complete picture of DeRozan’s market should emerge once LeBron James picks his team, because several clubs chasing James could pivot to DeRozan if they miss. Smith adds that the Lakers, Heat, Warriors and Trail Blazers have all been linked to him, with the strength of that interest unclear.
For fantasy purposes, the destination matters more than the signing. A veteran-minimum deal in Toronto would mean a bench role for the first time in DeRozan’s career and a sharp usage drop, leaving him a late-round redraft flier at best. If a team that misses on James signs him into real minutes instead, he becomes a viable points-league pick, so hold any waiver decision until the LeBron domino falls.
