Spurs' DeMar DeRozan Says Contract Option Didn't Factor into Playing NBA Restart

San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan will play when the 2019-20 NBA season resumes in Orlando, Florida, this month, but he said Thursday that his contract had nothing to do with the decision.

According to Paul Garcia of Project Spurs, DeRozan said, "I never think about the next year." 

DeRozan has a player option for next season, meaning he could become a free agent once the Spurs' 2019-20 season ends.

Each of the 22 remaining teams will play eight more regular-season games beginning on July 30. After that, the playoffs will be held with the top eight teams in each conference qualifying.

The Spurs are 12th in the Western Conference at 27-36, and they trail the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies by four games. If the ninth-place team in a conference finishes within four games of the eighth-place team when the regular-season ends, then the ninth-place team will be afforded an opportunity to reach the postseason.

Should that happen, the No. 8 seed will have beat the No. 9 seed once to qualify and the ninth seed will have to beat the eighth seed twice to qualify.

For the Spurs, a remarkable streak is on the line, as they have reached the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons under head coach Gregg Popovich.

The Spurs would be expected to get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers even if they do make it, so it would be understandable if DeRozan wanted to protect himself from injury by sitting out.

DeRozan's Best Dunks from 2019-20 💪

Even so, DeRozan told reporters that he has no "hesitancy" about playing. He also told reporters that he intends to find ways to help the social movement from the NBA bubble in Orlando.

When discussing the factors that went into his decision to either play or sit out, DeRozan told Garcia: "For me, it's about the times we're living in."

DeRozan is one of many NBA players who have been outspoken about racial inequality, social injustice and police brutality in the United States since 46-year-old Black man George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

If San Antonio is going to have any chance of reaching the playoffs, it will need some strong performances from DeRozan, who is a four-time All-Star and was averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this season before it was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that DeRozan plans to decline his player option for next season if he can't work out a new contract with the Spurs.

If that turns out to be true, DeRozan could be on the verge of playing his final eight games as a member of the Spurs.