The Kawhi Leonard saga has reportedly reached its conclusion. The Spurs and Raptors have agreed, in principle, to a deal that would send Kawhi to Toronto, and DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio.
Toronto is close to a deal to acquire Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard, league sources tell @ChrisBHaynes and me. Trade package includes DeMar DeRozan, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 18, 2018
The main part of this trade is the Kawhi/DeMar swap, but both sides have more pieces involved.
The full trade is Kawhi and Danny Green to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a top-20 protected 2019 first-round pick that will become two second-rounders if it is not conveyed this year.
Both of the primary players in the deal have been less-than-enthused with the news.
DeRozan posted about his displeasure on his Instagram story. He wrote, “”Be told one thing & the outcome another. Can’t trust em. Ain’t no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing… Soon you’ll understand… Don’t disturb…”
Kawhi is also displeased with where he will be spending his final year before free agency.
Kawhi Leonard has no desire to play in Toronto, league source tells ESPN.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 18, 2018
I don’t think I have ever seen a trade like this where both primary players in the deal are this outwardly angry about it.
DeRozan has played in Toronto his entire career and didn’t want to leave.
Kawhi asked to be traded home to one of the Los Angeles teams, and the Spurs traded him out of the country, 1160 miles further from home than he already was when he was in San Antonio.
As far as evaluating the talent, I think I like the trade for both sides, at least in the Kawhi/DeRozan swap.
The Raptors wanted to make a big change in their roster, since the DeRozan/Lowry pairing hasn’t been able to get it done, and Kawhi is an upgrade over DeRozan in just about every way. Maybe they are hoping for a Paul George-type scenario where Kawhi decides he actually really likes Toronto and stays long-term. That would be good for them. They could also flip him for a lottery pick or some other package at the deadline, potentially.
The Spurs do get a superstar in return. Obviously, DeRozan is not as good as Kawhi, but Kawhi is still a top-5 player even though he’s basically sat out for a year. They have DeRozan and the remaining three years and $83 million on his deal, with an opt-out after 2020, which gives them some time to build a contender again around DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge.
I actually think that, when all is said and done, DeRozan is the type of guy who will really like playing for the Spurs and Gregg Popovich. Maybe Pop can unlock the next level for DeRozan, 28.
It’s a really weird situation right now, and the fact that both players are reportedly furious adds a whole other level of intrigue.
Featured Image via Flickr/GAMEFACE-PHOTOS
