The San Antonio Spurs played a big part in one of the league's most tragic figures' career and development, even if he would have preferred never to have played there.
It's been just over a week since Chris Paul announced his retirement from the NBA, and immediately, fans started criticizing every aspect of his career.
Why couldn't he get the Lob City Clippers to the Finals? What if he had been traded to Kobe's Los Angeles Lakers? What did he say to his teammates that caused the Clippers to dismiss him during his farewell season?
For every critique, however, there was praise.
He turned Shai Gilgheous-Alexander into a superstar! He was the best defensive point guard ever! He was the league's fiercest competitor!
Paul gave the NBA 21 seasons, and all he ever wanted was to win. He never won a ring, joining Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, and the other titleless legends.
However, Paul isn't the most tragic figure of his era.
DeMar DeRozan Takes the Cake
When it's all said and done, neither DeMar DeRozan nor Chris Paul will be remembered as San Antonio Spurs. Paul spent only one season with the Silver and Black, his final full campaign, and had only great things to say about the team.
However, it was just one year, and while he did instill his competitive nature into the young roster, he did an even better job doing that with the Phoenix Suns and OKC Thunder, and actually made the playoffs.
DeMar DeRozan spent three seasons with the Spurs, leading them to their most recent playoff appearance in 2019. He came over from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. At the time, he believed he could lead the Raptors to the Finals. Masai Ujiri saw things differently, and the Raptors' GOAT was shipped off to Texas.
In San Antonio, DeRozan--like Paul--didn't find too much team success. However, under Gregg Popovich, his assist numbers doubled, and he became a more complete offensive player.
He still had his limitations. He was not the best defender and couldn't make 3-pointers with any reliability. Some compared his game to Michael Jordan's, minus the defense, although it was clear that the midrange-heavy playstyle was outdated.
DeRozan, like Paul, only wanted to win. Unlike Paul, he wanted to win for Toronto and Canada. Instead, he was tossed aside, and the Raptors won their only banner without him.
Since his time in San Antonio, DeRozan has played for a mediocre Chicago team and a downright putrid Sacramento team. He went on playoff run after playoff run with the Raptors, falling short to LeBron James each time. Since then, he's been an afterthought, despite remaining one of the game's best scorers.
While Paul wanted to win for himself and his legacy (which is still admirable), DeRozan wanted to be synonymous with Canadian basketball. The Raptors probably wouldn't have won in 2019 with their old core, and a trade was necessary, but they gave up the player who was proudest to represent the entire country.
With the Kings playing for lottery odds and his limited playstyle, it's clear that DeRozan's career will end similarly to Paul's, even though DeRozan is a better teammate, by all accounts.