DeRozan won't pressure Lowry into re-signing with Raps

If Kyle Lowry leaves the Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan will not hold it against him.

DeRozan was recently asked if he'll recruit his backcourt mate of the last five years in Lowry, who's set to hit unrestricted free agency.

"Last go around when he was up for free agency, I never once called him and said what he should do," DeRozan told SI's DeAntae Prince, referring to 2014, when Lowry ultimately re-signed with the Raptors on a four-year pact.

"He'd tell you himself. I'll take the same approach. At the end of the day, he has to make the right decision for himself and his family. No matter how close we are, I never fool with that part of it.

"When you have a family and that dynamic comes into play, you have to do what's best for you. He has to be able to live with whatever decision he makes, and as a friend I just have to support him."

Lowry and DeRozan share what's widely believed to be the best bromance in the NBA, eliciting envy around the Association. Together, they've played their best basketball, leading Toronto to contention in the Eastern Conference while also earning All-Star nods, All-NBA honors, and even Olympic gold medals.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri said that Lowry indicated he wants to remain with the club. The All-Star point guard said himself that contrary to a report, he's not unhappy in Toronto. However, he made it clear in his season-ending presser that he wants to win a championship.

"I just want a ring," he told reporters in May after his club got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs.

The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are among the clubs that have been linked to the 11-year vet in free-agency rumors.

At 31, K-Low could be looking at his last big pay day. He could receive a max deal worth up to $200 million over five years with the Raptors, or roughly $150 million elsewhere.

Regardless of his decision, it sounds like he'll always have a friend in DeRozan.