[iriefm_breakingnews][/iriefm_breakingnews]

Spurs trade Leonard to Raptors in exchange for DeRozan

by July 18th, 2018

The Toronto Raptors, in a move that elevates their chances of making the NBA finals have acquired the services of All-Star forward Kahwi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs.

The multi-player deal which was finalized this morning sees the Spurs also sending Danny Green and receiving All-Star Demar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick in return.

Toronto’s first-round pick to San Antonio is a protected 1-20 selection. After one year, it becomes two second-round picks.

Both teams have held talks for two weeks and several incarnations of packages have been discussed.

The move is an incredibly risky one for the Raptors, who are giving up a home-grown star under contract until 2021 in exchange for Leonard, who is fully expected to opt out of his deal and become a free agent in the summer of 2019.

News of the trade was met with a relatively quick response from Leonard’s camp, indicating that he has no desire to play in Toronto.

DeRozan meanwhile has three years and $83 million left on his contract, including an early-termination option for the 2020-21 season.

Shortly after the news of a possible trade broke overnight, DeRozan posted what appears to be a response on his Instagram story, and he didn’t seem too happy.

In a story posted on his Instagram page Wednesday morning, DeRozan 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…”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *