The Toronto Raptors are reportedly looking to sign Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross to long-term deals as their rookie-scale contracts come to a close. It’s no surprise to see Valanciunas mentioned, as most analysts consider him the franchise’s top asset, but Ross is an interesting inclusion in the report. A contract extension for Ross could have some major implications.

DeMar DeRozan, the Raps’ leading scorer in 2014-15, might opt out of his contract next summer to take advantage of the salary cap spike. As such, it could be really tough to bring him back. He’s a well-liked player and enjoys playing in Toronto, but I doubt GM Masai Ujiri wants to get in an open-market bidding war. In his career as an executive, Ujiri has never been one to hand out superstar contracts.

Having Ross on the roster would make re-signing DeRozan even more unlikely. The team would naturally have less cap space to work with, and DeRozan’s services wouldn’t be as needed. Ross and DeRozan are both shooting guards, and it’s simply not efficient to pay big money to two players who, in all seriousness, don’t play well on the court together. Neither of the two can defend players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but one of them always has to.

The Raptors paid a steep price to fix that problem with DeMarre Carroll, and his presence on the team surely forecasts a departure for one of Ross and DeRozan. Ross, a starter in 61 games this season, won’t be happy getting sent to the bench, but it’s pretty much inevitable.

What could change that is a trade, and Ujiri is likely shopping DeRozan around the league right now. If he thinks DeRozan will be gone next summer, he’ll want to at least get some value back first. The Portland Trail Blazers come to mind as a trade partner. They have plenty of cap space, a young core and a Wesley Matthews-sized hole at shooting guard.

Whether DeRozan will leave in an offseason trade, midseason trade or in free agency is unclear. He may not end up leaving at all, but if the Raptors extend Ross, you’d have to think one of those scenarios is in play. If they don’t extend him, expect DeRozan to continue on as the Raptors’ franchise player.

Casey Sherman is the Toronto Raptors Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @shermham