DeMar DeRozan reportedly planned in January to opt out this offseason.
Did a dismal playoff showing give him any second thoughts?
Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com:
Raptors G DeMar DeRozan has officially opted out and is a free agent, league sources informed @clevelanddotcom. His deadline was June 15.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 13, 2016
Before the playoffs, teams would’ve rushed to offer DeRozan a max contract. Now, they might deliberate a little then offer him a max contract.
That’s just the reality of this cap environment. DeRozan will earn far more next season than the $10,350,000 he would’ve made by opting in – potentially up to the max (projected to be $25,894,800).
DeRozan is a 26-year-old scoring wing with a strong track record of improvement. Yes, his defense and outside shooting raise questions – especially in the playoffs – but plenty of teams would be better of with him than whatever their consolation prize would be.
That probably includes the Raptors, who say they want to re-sign him. DeRozan sounds like he wants to return, too.
