DeMar DeRozan Blasts Raptors For Kawhi Leonard Trade

It was a week ago that the NBA saw the biggest trade of the offseason take place. And maybe even one of the biggest trades of the last few years in the league. With multiple teams being extra cautious about giving away too many assets to get Kawhi Leonard on—what most people assume would just be a one-year rental until he leaves for L.A. next season—the Toronto Raptors pulled the trigger and traded their best player and the guy most associated with the organization in its entire history in the league, DeMar DeRozan!

There has been a lot of talk and a lot of emotions on both sides of the trade since it happened, but recently DeRozan sat down with ESPN and opened up about being traded to the Spurs and all that surrounded it before and since.

DeRozan was asked if he thought the trade was a necessary move for the team to make. During the interview, the news conference held by Toronto GM, Masai Ujiri after the trade was brought up. Ujiri had talked about giving the team a chance when he initially took over—and DeRozan didn't hold back his feelings in response to Masai's comments:

"I mean, when you say 'them,' that's kind of frustrating. Like, who is 'them?' You put the blame on just me and Casey? Because obviously, we are the only two who had to suffer from the loss that we had in the Cleveland series. But it's only one team that we lost to in the postseason — and that team went to the [NBA] Finals every single year. With an opportunity approaching itself, my mindset and the rest of my teammates' mindset was the only guy who was in the way of making that happen leaves. Now, we got a great opportunity to do something that we haven't been able to do. At the end of the day, I gave everything I had to that team. And it showed, it showed in the progress we made as a team and me as an individual. So when you put that out there saying 'gave them chances' and 'I have to do somethin'" ... it's B.S. to me."

A lot was made post-trade about how the Raptors handled things and treated a player who gave everything he had to the team and the city he represented — with many current players from around the league sending out social media posts in support of DeRozan. Some even spoke about how DeRozan should have a statue outside the Air Canada Center where the Raptors play.

And DeRozan reiterated something that he has said before about having been told he wasn't going to be traded:

"I asked, 'Was I going to be traded? Was there anything going on, if it was a chance I'd be traded?' And on multiple occasions it was, 'No, it was nothing.' If it is, then let the agent know or me know...

...Man, I was really stuck. I couldn't think for a second because it just didn't feel real. I didn't have no indication like it would be something else. If I knew that, I wouldn't have reacted the way I did. I would have been prepared for it. But it caught me completely off-guard because I'm thinking this is another summer. Move forward. I talked to my teammates every single day how we can get better. So to hit me with that at midnight out the blue, like, c'mon. Two days prior, it was asked, 'Is anything going on?' If it is, just let me know because the rumors keep coming up. Two days later, you're going here."

DeRozan is still in shock over what happened. He had taken on the face of the organization for years and had wanted to play his entire career in Toronto. But, as far as places to be traded to goes, DeRozan now finds himself in one of, if not the best, organizations in the NBA. Playing for the best coach in the league and one of the best to ever do the job, Gregg Popovich. And the four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team member is definitely a fan of Pop:

"I've always been a fan of Pop. There was just something about him from the way he ran his team, the way he coached, his credibility. Everything that stands out about Pop, you just have to love. So to have this opportunity to play with a legendary coach at this point in my career, I think it's one of those blessings that's in disguise because this is a cool moment to be with a guy like that. I've been with Case for the majority of my career. He gave me the ultimate freedom to be myself. First thing Case said to me when the move was made is I'm going to love Pop. To hear that from my coach, on the transition to my new coach, just makes it easy."

Professional athletes both former and current often say that they feel like they have something to prove when they get traded. That regardless of how friendly or contentious the trade was, they feel that athletic pride to show their former team they made a mistake. And it would appear that that is the case 10-fold with DeRozan after how things went down and how attached he felt to the Toronto organization, the city, and the fans. And he certainly didn't shy away from it when asked what he feels the Spurs getting in DeMar DeRozan?

"A guy that's been proven to prove himself time and time again -- this time around having the biggest chip on his shoulder ever."