2016 NBA Free Agency Rumors: Will Bismack Biyombo Return To the Toronto Raptors?

By Carlo Monzon
Bismack Biyombo
Bismack Biyombo with the Charlotte Hornets.

The NBA free agency is about to begin in just a few days but according to sources, Bismack Biyombo prefers to stay with the Toronto Raptors. However, this could still depend on DeMar DeRozan, another free agent who the Raptors are keen on retaining.

According to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports, league insiders claimed that Biyombo wants to stay with the Toronto franchise, a team he's been with since July of last year.

The Raptors community, on the other hand, will probably not protest against re-signing him since he has proven his worth to the team. For instance, even though the team got eliminated while on the road to the finals, the Raptors were able to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers twice during the playoffs. And, during this playoffs, Biyombo was able to average 6.2 points with 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

But even though it's easy to view Biyombo as a valuable asset of the Raptors, re-signing him is not as easy as it seems. The main thing that's making this matter complicated is DeRozan.

Like Biyombo, DeRozan will also be a free agent next week but the Raptors value the shooting guard more than the center. Also, in order to re-sign with Toronto, DeRozan is reportedly asking for a five-year contract worth about $153 million.

Handing him this much may not leave enough for Biyombo, which is why Raptors general manager Masarai Ujiri will have to seriously consider the team's financial status and even the salary of other players if he wants to retain these two guys.

But, another possible scenario that could enable Toronto to get both Biyombo and DeRozan is if the latter accepts a smaller deal with the team. That way, the Raptors could get enough cap room to retain Biyombo.

In other words, Raptors fans can expect more negotiations in the near future regarding the status of these two players. But, as for Biyombo, he is reportedly well aware of just how valuable DeRozan is for Toronto. This is the reason why sources said that he's willing to be patient as the team and the shooting guard work things out.

Hopefully, though, the parties involved will be able to work out an amicable deal since other franchise are surely looking to snatch Biyombo.

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