The Toronto Raptors have been cautiously anticipating the return of DeMarre Carroll since early January, but their prized offseason free-agent signing may keep them waiting until next season.

Carroll underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Jan. 6, and was initially given an eight-week recovery timetable. He's already blown past that, but the most recent reports out of Toronto indicated he had progressed to one-on-one drills, as well as light shooting and conditioning work, and was targeting a late-March return.

That was two weeks ago, and here we are in the dog days of March, and there's been nothing but radio silence from the Raptors in regard to Carroll's condition or status moving forward. That's reportedly because there's a growing internal doubt about the prospect of Carroll returning at all.

From Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun:

Carroll's been in Atlanta tending to some personal matters (he is due back this week), the team has kept tight-lipped, but every indication from talking to various people is there has been some sort of setback and his return this season is very much in doubt. Quietly, the team has taken the belief that he will need more time, and only a deep playoff run would let him return this season.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, for his part, stuck to the script when asked if he sees Carroll suiting up again in 2015-16.

"I expect him (to)," Casey said, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg, "I've heard nothing else other than that."

After signing with the Raptors for four years and $58 million in the summer, Carroll has appeared in just 23 games this season, averaging 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range. He missed time early on with plantar fasciitis, returned, missed another spate of games with the knee issue, and returned again before finally resigning himself to the operating table.

According to Wolstat, the belief within the organization is that Carroll had to compensate because of the plantar fasciitis, which led to his knee damage.