Four-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan is staying with San Antonio Spurs for one more year.
The Spurs announced on social media on Monday that DeRozan exercised a player option on his contract for the 2020/21 NBA season. The 31-year-old player will earn $27.7 million playing under the option.
DeRozan comes off a productive season with the Spurs, in which he put up 22.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on average in 68 regular-season games. It was his seventh season averaging 20+ points, something done only by six other players in the league during that period.
Despite producing on a consistent basis, DeRozan hasn’t been considered a true star in NBA for some time now. This is most likely because of his notorious aversion for three-point line and shots from the deep. Also, he mostly relies on mid-range jumpers, which are becoming almost obsolete in the modern NBA.
In recent weeks, DeMar DeRozan has been mentioned in trade talks with LA Lakers. It is believed that the Lakers would love to add him to their roster in order to position themselves for another NBA title run. However, considering the team added Dennis Schroder over the weekend, it is unclear whether they still hold the same interest.
DeRozan spent the first nine seasons of his career with Toronto Raptors, being considered the face of the franchise for a long time. However, the Raptors decided to trade him to the Spurs in 2018 in order to get Kawhi Leonard.
The move worked out for the Raptors, as they won an NBA title in the following season, while DeRozan has one playoff series with San Antonio to show for.
