DeMar DeRozan says the Toronto Raptors didn’t treat him with the proper level of respect prior to his trade to San Antonio last week.
DeRozan feels misled by general manager Masai Ujiri about his future with the franchise.
The 28-year-old NBA All-Star initially couldn’t imagine playing for another team, but is now ready for a new chapter with the Spurs.
DeMar DeRozan never envisioned himself being traded by the Raptors. pic.twitter.com/7xsXarCIH6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 25, 2018
Per ESPN:
Masai Ujiri, the Raptors GM, came out in a news conference and said it was a gap in communication: that he spoke with you during summer league in Las Vegas and thinks his mistake was talking to you about what to expect moving forward with the organization. From your standpoint, is that an accurate assessment of that conversation?
DeRozan: “Um, no, because all summer through the talks we had — through the talks he had with my agent — you know, it seemed like I was in that discussion of moving forward with the team. My whole approach every summer was preparing, going out there and supporting the young guys at summer league, figuring out ways I can be better, make my team better, and that was the gist of the conversations we had with moving forward. Having the opportunity to do something special all over again, you know? So that was my mindset and everybody around me’s mindset as well.”
How do you feel you were treated particularly by Masai Ujiri?
DeRozan: “I felt like I wasn’t treated with what I sacrificed for nine years, with the respect that I thought I deserved. By just giving me the say so of letting me know something’s going on or it’s a chance. That’s all I wanted. That’s all I wanted. I’m not saying, ‘You don’t have to trade me’ or … just let me know something is going on because I sacrificed everything. Just let me know. That’s all I asked. Everybody know I’m the most low-maintenance person in the world. Just let me know, so I can prepare myself for whatever my next chapter is, and I didn’t get that.”
