Raptors GM Ujiri: No extension talks with DeRozan this season
DeMar DeRozan is almost certainly hitting free agency next summer.
Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri all but confirmed DeRozan will test the market in 2016 on Tuesday, explaining to Sportsnet the team won't even bother discussing an extension with their shooting guard this season. Here's Ujiri:
There will be no extension talks with DeMar. He can only extend for a certain amount of money and I just foresee that DeMar sees himself - and we see him - as more than that type of a player. So I think DeMar is going to wait to see how it goes this year and do the best deal for himself, and we'll do the best deal for ourselves, too.
Ujiri isn't saying anything that wasn't already patently obvious after a cursory look at the collective bargaining agreement. The rules regarding contract extensions are incredibly limiting, and DeRozan stands to make substantially more money through free agency.
To illustrate, the maximum extension the Raptors could sign DeRozan to this season - which would see him opt out of his $10.1-million player option for 2016-17 - would pay him roughly $34.8 million over three additional seasons. That's laughable compared to what DeRozan could command coming off a strong 2015-16 as the salary cap explodes, with DeRozan opting out of his deal a foregone conclusion, barring injury.
Instead, DeRozan will become an unrestricted free agent and stand as a litmus test for the NBA's new economy. A gifted scorer and adequate defender, DeRozan has worked himself to the point of being a quality starting wing, but despite being a 20-point scorer, calling him a max-salary player would be inaccurate. When most of the league has maximum cap space and few stars are on the market, DeRozan may have the leverage to push for a max contract, one that would pay him approximately $25 million in year one alone based on current cap estimated.
Over the last two seasons, DeRozan has averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 29.9 percent on threes but also averaging 7.7 free-throw attempts, one of the best marks in the league.