Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri made the biggest basketball trade of the summer when he acquired Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick.

For the Raptors and their fans, the arrival of Leonard was obviously a huge win - giving the team a top-five player in the league to up their chances at an NBA Championship. But for point guard Kyle Lowry, the departure of DeRozan was tough for him to deal with.

After all, these two were best friends on and off the court. Not only that, but the two worked closely together in helping Toronto become a force in the Eastern Conference - highlighted by five consecutive trips to the postseason.

In an interview with Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com, Lowry admitted that the changes took a while to get used to, but he knew that he couldn't let them affect him personally.

"It took a little bit, but I had to make peace with it right away, because it’s a business," Lowry said. "If you take it personal, you’re going to [expletive] yourself. You can’t do that in this business. I never held on to it."

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Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Lowry also said that he and DeRozan still keep in touch, so it won't be emotional when the latter returns to Toronto on Feb. 22. Lowry did admit, however, that he's "not looking forward to seeing" former head coach Dwane Casey, whose Detroit Pistons come to town next Wednesday.

The trade has worked out well for both sides thus far. The Raptors sit atop the Eastern Conference with an 11-1 record, while the Spurs sit at 6-4. Leonard has enjoyed an MVP-caliber season for the Raptors, and they undoubtedly look like the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors right now.

Ujiri took a major risk in trading away his franchise star for Leonard, but it's paid massive dividends in the early goings of 2018-19. Even though it was hard for fans to see DeRozan leave for San Antonio, Ujiri's trade came down to business reasons, and it's worked out perfectly.

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