The San Antonio Spurs have traded All-Star Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in a package deal that will see Raptors All-Star DeMar DeRozen going to San Antonio to join the Spurs.
In an offseason that saw LeBron James sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers and DeMarcus Cousins sign with the Golden State Warriors, this trade between the Spurs and the Raptors is another huge move that keeps the NBA in the headlines even when there are no games being played (summer league excluded).
As for the trade itself, ESPN says it is being reported that the Spurs will send Kawhi Leonard and Danni Green to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar Derozen, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first round pick. The Toronto pick is protected one to 20 and after one year it becomes two second-round picks.
The fact that Leonard (arguably one of the top three to five players in the league) was traded might not be a huge surprise to many given the falling out he had with the team over the last season and his comments a while back that he wanted out. However, he was also very open about wanting to go play for the Lakers.
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Leonard is also in the last year of his contract, meaning that he will be an unrestricted free agent next season — a fact that definitely had some teams being cautious when talking trade with the Spurs. Many teams didn't want to give up too much for what could easily be a one-year rental of Leonard before he could head off to L.A. next season.
The Raptors would have the money advantage though. As they would be able to sign him to a 5-year $190 million dollar deal whereas if he left Toronto the most he could get signing anywhere else would be $141 million for four-years.
While Toronto and the Spurs have been in trade talks for the last couple weeks, most of the possible chatter had been centered on the Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have the most assets and young talent but were obviously hesitant to give away too much with the fear of losing Leonard after one season.
As for DeRozan, he still has three years and $83 million left on his current contract which also includes an early termination option for the 2020-21 season. The trade also came as a surprise to DeMar who met with the team in Las Vegas during the summer league and, those close to him said that he believed that he was not going to be traded.
Obviously feeling betrayed, DeRozen posted this to his Instagram page this morning:
"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..."