The Toronto Raptors have been in the middle of improving their roster to take a shot at the NBA championship once more next season. The Raptors got Kawhi Leonard via trade with the LA Clippers last month to rise again as a championship contender.
After the Leonard trade, another potential reunion with a former superstar emerged as DeMar DeRozan has been waived by the Sacramento Kings.
However, the Raptors may just have received bad news on the race to get DeRozan’s services for next season.
According to NBA insider Matt George of the Sactown Sports, the Raptors are not among the teams with the most chatter in a potential DeRozan signing.
“The two teams that we seem to hear the most chatter about in terms of potential landing destinations for DeMar DeRozan [are] the Miami Heat, who of course just traded for Giannis, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are a team I long thought could use the services of DeMar, especially in that second unit off of the bench,” George said.
George added that there is still a possibility that DeRozan could play in one of his hometown teams in Los Angeles, with the Clippers being the most likely landing spot for him, if he remains in the California area.
“Of course, we’ve always heard LA ties, right? He is from LA, from Compton, very much a Los Angeles guy. So, we’ve always talked about the possibility of DeMar going home. Whether it’s the LA Clippers or the LA Lakers, it seems like the Clippers would be the more likely out of the two,” he said.
DeMar DeRozan Remains A Valuable Offensive Contributor
GettyDeMar DeRozan was an offensive contributor for the Sacramento Kings in the 2025-2026 NBA season.
DeRozan played 77 games with the Kings, averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game and shot 49.7% from the field.
DeRozan will be 37 years old and would play in his 18th NBA season when he signs with a team for next year.
He is now available to sign a veteran’s minimum contract. DeRozan would receive his guaranteed $10 million from the Kings after he gets waived. The Kings may opt to pay him over three seasons, depending on their decision in August.
DeRozan could play a mentor role or contribute on a title-contending team next season.
Social Media Activity Links DeMar DeRozan To The Toronto Raptors
GettyTORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 16: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors and Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors look on against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2016 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
DeMar DeRozan’s social media activity hours after getting waived by Sacramento intrigued fans and pundits for a reunion with the Toronto Raptors.
NBA insider Jake Fischer noted that it is still in the realm of possibility that DeRozan would be a Raptor once again next season.
“He has, on social media, started to put out some type of messaging that maybe he’d be interested in a reunion up north with Toronto,” he said in a Bleacher Report livestream.
DeRozan liked a post on Instagram where he is seen wearing a Raptors uniform alongside Kawhi Leonard.
DeRozan played nine seasons in Toronto before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 in exchange for Kawhi Leonard, who led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship.
If DeRozan signs with the Raptors, it could be a full-circle and poetic moment for him and Leonard’s careers.
Toronto Raptors Receive Bad News On Potential DeMar DeRozan Return