On one side, the Toronto Raptors. Here DeMar DeRozan has teammates he loves, a 56-win team, a personal challenge, a contract that will pay tens of millions more, and a city that he has embraced since being drafted, and has come to call home.
And on the other side, the Los Angeles Lakers. There may be other suitors for the 26-year-old all-star unrestricted free agent, but the Lakers are widely seen as the only real competition. The Lakers offer the purple-and-gold mystique, and the challenge of replacing his favourite player, Kobe Bryant. And, of course, he was born and raised in Compton.