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Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan pens farewell to fans

By David Morassutti

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 14: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors and the Eastern Conference is introduced during the NBA All-Star Game 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on February 14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 14: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors and the Eastern Conference is introduced during the NBA All-Star Game 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on February 14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Days after being traded away by the Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan pens an emotional farewell to Toronto.

This has not been an easy time for DeMar DeRozan after a nine-year tenure with the Toronto Raptors coming to an end after being traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

It has been an emotional week for the 28-year-old and Raptors fans as the cost to acquire Kawhi Leonard means parting with a franchise player who clearly had an emotional connection with the fanbase and the city.

On Saturday, DeRozan wrote an emotional message on Instagram thanking the city and Canada for their support.

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This is a drastic change from the other messages that DeRozan has been putting in his Instagram story saying that president Masai Ujiri lied to him about not being on the traded.

Ujiri attempted to provide some clarification about the situation at a press conference on Friday when asked about DeRozan’s comments. 

"“I had a conversation with DeMar at summer league. I think maybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going forward from him. If there was a miscommunication there I do apologize to DeMar, his family, and his representation. It’s not what I meant.”"

Many have been criticizing Ujiri for the way DeRozan’s situation has been handled but in the end, the president hinted toward changes coming after another sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Obviously, the Raptors needed to make changes especially after Dwane Casey was let go but the feeling among some fans is that if the team was going to go for it, they would’ve wanted DeRozan to be a part of it.

As I discussed earlier this week, the issue with loyalty and professional sports is that in the end, a team’s end goal is to win a championship.

Ujiri knows that the Raptors struggle to attract star talent so to acquire a top-five player in the league is not something he can’t pass up

Next: DeMar DeRozan’s Top 5 career highlights

At this point, the damage has been done and the organization will do what it can to honour DeRozan and make sure his contributions are celebrated but fans will always think back to how it ended.

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