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DeMar Derozan is currently busy trying to help the Toronto Raptors advance to the Eastern Conference NBA Finals but there is no denying that critics have started speculating on what the star guard plans to do after this season.

DeRozan is expected to be among the top names in the offseason, finishing his four-year $38 million contract and likely to look for a max-contract deal. The Raptors would be foolish not to give him one with other teams likely to pursue him.

He did mention before that he preferred to stay in Toronto and that he would let teammate Kyle Lowry dictate his free-agency decision. But was he really serious with that claim?

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has linked DeRozan to a possible transfer to the Los Angeles Lakers pointing out some reasonable points.

“He has family out there. He’s from out there. He wants to be in L.A. He wants to wear the purple and gold, and if there’s a way for it to happen, again he’s restricted, if there’s a way for it to happen, DeMar DeRozan will be in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform next season.”

The bold call is nothing new from Smith. He has done it before in a list that includes Kevin Durant. The analysis may not be entirely true but the facts to make sense plus the fact that the Lakers are in urgent need of a new franchise player following the retirement of Kobe Bryant.

But is he the right person the Lakers need? With a bumper crop of young stars like Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr., it will be interesting if the 26-year-old guard can fill in the shoes as a leader for the Lakers.

Also, it begs to ask if DeRozan would be willing to take it down a notch and join a team that is in the rebuilding phase yet again. There is a promising coach in tow with Luke Walton but it may take a massive recruitment campaign for the Lakers to get back into contention and recall their winning ways.

 Like Durant, DeRozan’s decision may be swayed by how far the Raptors can go. The higher they get, the more he is likely to stick it out with the Raptors with the assumption that Toronto is willing to give him a max contract after this season.