Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan is reportedly keen on "coming home" to Los Angeles and play for the Lakers next season as the team tries to move on from the Kobe Bryant era.

Lakers Nation cited ESPN's Stephen A. Smith as the source of the rumors as the TV personality said in his program First Take that DeRozan has "made it very, very clear that he wants to be in LA" during this summer's free-agency period, attributing the high-flying guard's decision to family and the fact that he is from Compton, California.

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"He wants to be in L.A. He wants to wear the purple and gold, and if there's a way for it to happen, again he's restricted, if there's a way for it to happen, DeMar DeRozan will be in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform next season," Smith said.

The 26-year-old former USC Trojans standout is in the third year of his four-year, $38 million contract with the Raptors which has a player option at the end of this season. Opting out would mean that he becomes a restricted free agent in July. But if he opts in, he spends another season in Toronto, earns another $9.5 million, and becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

DeRozan had been linked to a move to the Lakers ever since the beginning of the season as he had been very vocal of idolizing the now retired Bryant. The rumors are at their noisiest this time, though, as the probability of him choosing the Lakers this summer is said to be high as he reportedly "has a soft spot for his hometown where he played basketball in high school at Compton and college at USC before getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2009".

Meanwhile, Lakers legend Magic Johnson is urging his former team to pursue DeRozan this summer, as per SB Nation.

Magic said in a social media post that "DeMar DeRozan should be one of the free agents we go after this summer", evidently talking to Lakers management.

This comes after Magic also suggested going after 2014 MVP Kevin Durant and four-time league MVP LeBron James in the summer.

TagsNBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2016, Lakers rumors, Los Angeles Lakers, DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors