TORONTO — When Masai Ujiri met with DeMar DeRozan on Sunday, the pain of a season that ended just a little bit too soon was still written on DeRozan's face. It was the look of unfinished business.

The Raptors' all-star guard has made it clear he wants to stay in Toronto. Ujiri returned the sentiments on Monday.

"Our No. 1 goal is to bring DeMar back here," the team's president and GM said. "We feel great that he wants to come back to our organization. I spoke to him (Sunday), and his eyes were still red. You could tell. He said he felt empty the next day, which was telling.

"Speaking to him and Kyle (Lowry), they almost felt like we had a game to play still, and that game is not there. There's that hunger, and you like that, and then now, it's my part to figure it out."

Figuring it out means paying DeRozan top dollar. The team's leading scorer will test free agency in a few weeks, and is expected to fetch maximum money on the open market.

But Ujiri, who speaks regularly about building a culture of winning and professionalism in Toronto, said DeRozan fits well within that vision. His approach to the team's culture has been "phenomenal," Ujiri said.

Talking to reporters three days after Toronto was eliminated in six games from the Eastern Conference final, Ujiri said his other immediate tasks will be the June 23 draft — Toronto has the ninth overall pick — and negotiating a new contact with coach Dwane Casey, who is entering the team option year of his current deal.

"Coach Casey's our coach for the future," Ujiri said. "That's very easy for us to figure out. That will be done in our sleep, I think."

Casey's deal is a no-brainer. The coach led the Raptors to a franchise record 56-win season, and a spot in the final four for the first time in the team's 21-year history.

Now, as the team tries to build on its groundbreaking 2015-16 season, Ujiri would only say the Raptors have taken "baby steps" toward becoming a contender.

"I go home, my wife says 'You should be proud of the season,' and I say 'thank you' to be a good husband," Ujiri said. "There's 29 teams that have lost, there's 29 disappointed teams in the NBA at the end of the season, and we're one of them. I'm one of them.

"You have that disappointment in you, and that urge that you want to go and do better."

DeRozan is coming off his best statistical season with the Raptors, averaging 23.5 points per game and earning all-star honours for the second time in his career. The morning after Toronto's Game 6 loss to Cleveland, the 26-year-old from Compton, Calif., spoke lovingly of the only NBA team he's ever played for, and the city in his which he's raising his daughter Diar.

Those words hit home with Ujiri.

"Our guys have said they want to be here," he said. "It's put on my table and the guys in the front office to figure it out. We'll try to figure it out."

The Raptors also stand to lose Bismack Biyombo, the Congolese centre who came up big when Jonas Valanciunas went out with a sprained ankle. His 26 rebounds against Cleveland in Game 3 was a post-season franchise record. Reports have him commanding as much as US$17 million in a new deal.

Ujiri said bringing both Biyombo and DeRozan back might not be possible, "but honestly, it's our jobs. We have to figure it out."

The GM said he was proud of his team's fight in the post-season, and the growth they showed with each game. He mentioned Valanciunas, who missed eight games with his ankle injury and returned to play the last two versus Cleveland, despite being far from 100 per cent.

"Honestly Jonas's ankle was still like this when he played," Ujiri said, holding his hands wide. "So to fight to come back and want to play for the team and even sacrifice a little bit more to me says a lot."

The Raptors' banner year also saw them host the first NBA all-star game held outside the United States. Their D-League franchise, Raptors 905, played its inaugural season. And they moved into their new $65-million state of the art practice facility, BioSteel Centre.

Ujiri also praised the fans in his opening statement Monday, saying "I've never seen anything like this. I would go to battle any day with our fans and the country."