Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri has issued an apology to DeMar DeRozan for trading the longtime Raptors' star to the San Antonio Spurs, specifically after giving him the impression he wouldn't be traded at all.
After a blockbuster trade that sent DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl to the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard and veteran Spur Danny Green, DeRozan expressed his disappointment in his former team for promising to do one thing but then doing another. And, knowing he may have erred, as per The Athletic's Eric Koreen, Ujiri says he regrets the way things went down and cited a potential miscommunication with DeRozan as the reason.
Ujiri explained, "I want to not only apologize to DeMar DeRozan for maybe a gap of miscommunication but also to acknowledge him and what he's done here with the Raptors, for this city, for this country." Understanding that a large chunk of the Raptors fanbase is also upset about DeRozan being moved, Ujiri made sure to mention, "There's no measure to what this kid has done."
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"I think maybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going forward (from) DeMar, not necessarily about a trade," Ujiri added when he spoke with reporters. He then called DeRozan the best player to ever play for the Raptors organization to this point and would do anything he could to honor him.
ESPN's Chris Haynes reported DeRozan met with Raptors officials in Las Vegas during Las Vegas Summer League and came away with the belief he wouldn't be traded. Josh Lewenberg of TSN 1050, noted Ujiri figured the Raptors weren't really contenders to land Leonard, so he had no intentions of moving DeRozan when he talked to his player about DeRozan's future in Toronto.
What seems to be the consensus is that Ujiri didn't think Leonard was an option, talked to DeRozan about staying put and then things changed. When Leonard became an option for Toronto, Ujiri had to go back on his plan.
Part of the sting in all of this is that fans understand the value Leonard brings to the Raptors but they also know this trade could mean moving a player like DeRozan — who never wanted to leave Toronto — for one that may only stick around one season. If Leonard departs via free agency, the Raptors won't have Leonard or DeRozan on the roster.
Ujiri is hoping that's a situation he can avoid. If it does and the Raptors still don't make it deep into the NBA postseason, Ujiri will have more people to apologize to than just DeRozan.