Raptors' DeRozan: 'Toronto is all I've known'

A lot of digital traffic has surrounded DeMar DeRozan lately, and it's understandable why. The Toronto Raptors swingman is playing some of the best basketball of his seven-year career, and he's all but certain to opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent.

As a result, reports have naturally linked the 26-year-old to interested teams like the Brooklyn Nets and his hometown Los Angeles Lakers. However, as DeRozan has hinted before, his first choice appears to remain the Raptors.

"Toronto is all I've known, honestly," he told Yahoo Sports' Michael Lee. "I came in, (at age) 19, everything was completely new for me. I appreciated the support, the love. I treated it like home since then."

The comments echo his recent remarks to a Toronto radio station about having a sense of loyalty to the organization that drafted him in 2009.

Related: Why DeMar DeRozan isn't leaving Toronto

The Raptors' history of losing top players is a go-to for many observers, something that generally fades to the background when the team is winning. Yet because winning is something Toronto hasn't done a lot of over the years, DeRozan is excited about the current run of success.

"My whole goal was to get us out of that light and become a winning team, a winning organization," he said. "From going to winning 20-something games, to winning our division, franchise-record wins, that's something you can definitely be happy for. It's amazing to see how far it came. I remember it being just a hockey town."

Opting out of his contract next summer will ensure he effectively doubles his salary. A max contract is expected to be worth in the neighborhood of more than $25 million per season. Only the Raptors can offer DeRozan a fifth year.