Should the Raptors retire DeRozan's jersey?
DeMar DeRozan’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors is complicated. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points, was the face of the team alongside Kyle Lowry for one of its most successful and beloved eras, but ultimately never reached the ultimate goal.
Making things more complex, it was the year after DeRozan was traded that the Raptors finally won their first NBA championship, and it was the player he was traded for who delivered it. Arriving from the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard put together a historic playoff run in 2019, scoring the third-most points ever in a postseason run behind only Michael Jordan and LeBron James, taking home his second NBA Finals MVP award in the process.
Despite leaving for the LA Clippers the very next season, Leonard’s run in 2019 established him as a Raptors legend, and he now returns to Canada to try to do it again in 2027. But where does this leave DeRozan?
He is still beloved by the fans, as he chose to stay when many stars of past Raptors teams moved on, but he was not on that team that won it all, and it was often his shortcomings in the postseason that kept Toronto from realizing its ultimate potential all of those years.
Nonetheless, he is still one of the greatest Raptors of all time, which has fans debating whether his No. 10 should be retired. This debate was reignited when Kyle Lowry said that DeRozan’s number should indeed be retired. The Raptors have chosen to retire Lowry’s No. 7, and have been celebrating him throughout this offseason.
DeRozan made four All-Star appearances in Toronto, also earning two All-NBA nods. His best season came in 2017 when he scored 27.3 points, pulled down 5.2 rebounds, and dished out 3.9 assists en route to an All-NBA selection and 11th-place MVP finish.
He actually finished even higher in the MVP race the next season despite his scoring numbers being down, as he earned a career-best eighth-place finish and an All-NBA Second Team selection. That additional recognition was largely due to the season Toronto put together, as that 2018 Raptors group finished first in the Eastern Conference, but was infamously swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which led to massive changes in the offseason when DeRozan was sent to San Antonio for Leonard.
As time has gone on, it’s perhaps easier for Raptors fans to appreciate DeRozan, since Leonard left after just one year. There is something special about a player who chooses to stay, especially one who had as many great moments as DeRozan did, but whether that is enough to get his No. 10 in the rafters remains to be seen. For now, nobody has worn it since him.
