Kawhi to Raptors

Christ Haynes already reporting that Kawhi has no desire to play in Toronto.  Apparently Derozan met with the Toronto front office during Las Vegas summer league and was told he wouldn’t be traded.  He alluded to being lied to in an instagram story which had this text "Be told one thing & outcome another.  Can’t trust em.  Ain’t no loyalty in this game.  Sell you out real quick for a little bit of nothing…"  

 OG also has taken Raps references off twitter..  It’s a bad deal if both Derozan and Kawhi are unhappy.. Both will bolt to LA, Kawhi next year and Derozan when his ETO can be exercised the year after. 

Really,  who is running Toronto,  sacking the coach of the year and then doing this. . The moves smack of desperation 

Assuming Raptors don’t hold Kawhi and go forward…

This will end up being a 3 team trade when all is said and done…

My guess is something along this lines: Due to the Raptors having a really inexperienced coach in terms of level they have coached at, I see a Fred Hoidberg type rebuild happening…Which is get rid of all the hold overs from last coach and hit reset with new talent…As they have probably reliazed the ceiling of this current team.

Step 1: Spurs trade Kawhi to Raptors for Derozen and multiple assets either in the form of young players or Picks or both. Spurs will also probably try dump a bad deal in this move. This is probably to spite him due to way he went about things and not to send him to the Lakers…

Step 2: Raptors then package Vets for better than original young talent. I could see people wanting Lowry,J.V and maybe Ibaka… They will probably either try move these players for expiring deals/buy out candidates-See Melo lol  or Younger/cheaper talent and picks..

Step 3 Raptors then Parlay Kawhi into the supposed original deal of Ingram or Kuzma and Ball + something else…

Making the following outcome:

Lakers get Kawhi to help Lebron and help speed the rebuild up…

Raptors get from Lakers: Ball,One of Kuzma or Ingram,Another reasonable player and probably at least 1 pick. Then they make deals on the rest of their talent also…Then begin their rebuild.

Spurs get Derozen,Younger talent(OG) and maybe a pick or two..Spurs stay semi competitive

The only thing I hate about this whole deal is Demar seemed like he Legit wanted to stay with Raptors…I don’t blame players at all the more these kind of deals happen to why the bolt as soon as they can.

 No one will engage with Toronto to save their ass now, especially not the Lakers who will get Kawhi next year for free. They might offer Luol Deng straight up, but thats it. Any 3 team move would’ve needed to be in place before this. Anyone that takes a call from Toronto now should just hang up or dump absolute trash on them, which means they’ve given up DeRozan for expiring deals.. Raps decision making really unbelievable if media reports are true.. very bad news if Kawhi does not want to be there. He does not care about the money,  evidenced by turning down hee supermax.He may just refuse to play, have his contract voided for being in breach and then be free to sign a new deal sooner than expected.  

  SA sending him to the opposite of LA. Love it.

Not easy to wrap your head around this deal if it goes through in any kind of way if both DeRozan and Kawhi switch teams. I really thought DeRozans new deal would be kind of untradeable and I really can’t imagine Kawhi really suiting up for the Raptors after what he has done when he wasn’t willing to play for SA. 

For the Raptors it would not look like a gamble like what OKC did with the PG13 trade but also not really desperate either. Would be more like a salary dump for expiring contracts since Toronto seems to be more like the opposite to LA where Leonard reportedly wants to play and I also can’t image the Raptors convincing him to stay with this roster, new coach and questionable front office. 

Don’t really know what to think of this even if I think DeRozan would actually like playing in SA if he really is traded there. Can’t really believe this Toronto offer is the best SA has on the table unless SA doesn’t want a trade with any rising teams like LA (westcoast) or Boston or Philly. 

Would Kawhi in reality even play for the Raptors if traded there? Not so sure about this after what seems to be his mindset right now. 

 Whilst at his peak we could consider Kawhi clearly the best player after last season we could argue DeRozan is clearly better and has longer left on his deal.

If we consider the primary talent in the trade as fairly equal, the salaries have to be levelled up as DeRozan is on about $7 million more than Kawhi, so might Danny Green and OG Anunoby be part of the makeweights included I wonder?

The Spurs may like to move Pau Gasol but would the Raps take back nearly $32 million owed to a 38 year old unless Pau’s 2nd year isn’t fully guaranteed. Manu could possibly be used but I doubt he’d want to relocate to Toronto after 16 years in San Antonio and could well retire.

There are ways to do a fast rebuild/retool, but this is just a bad trade all around for TOR. The Raps FO may think they can convince him to resign but thats way too risky a plan. Kawhi is not an asset for them, and they’ll have even LESS leverage than the Spurs had if they do try to trade him midseason, but they still gave up their supposed franchise player for him. If other picks/young players are in this deal it makes it even worse for Toronto and this could end up being a move that sets them back for a long time. 

Lowry/Derozan era officially over and Spurs FO wins this trade easily

 LMAO, Kawhi couldn’t be farther than LA right now hahaha. Spurs did him raw. He kinda deserved it. Raps are stupid as hell though. What is the point of this trade ? Dumping Derozan salary for the future and rebuilding next year? 

The Raptors do not have a Blue’s clue to knowing anything about instilling a traditional franchise legacy. They let Tracy McGrady take a cross country hike to the bank of Disney World, only to bump heads with Vince Carter later on down the line; let Chris Bosh take his talents to South Beach, now they are full circling to tossing DeMar DeRozan to the side for a microwaveable piece that will not have any barring on their future. We cannot make this up 20 years from now.

 If the Spurs draw the lakers in the first round of the playoffs it will send De Mar into the fetal position 

 I’m somewhat surprised the Raptors made this deal, but the truth is they’re likely as good as they’d ever be. They likely wouldn’t be good enough to beat Boston who will likely continue to rise as the Raptors aged and got worse. Plus Philadelphia, Indiana, Milwaukee, and probably Washington would all be hard challenges to overcome who are only getting better. Toronto looks like they either want to stay competitive or they want to start over. If they somehow manage to keep Kawhi they’ll likely be towards the top of the East. 

It would be great if Greg Popovich helped DeMar Derozen reach another level and the Spurs stay at the top of the West.

 Spurs get: Demar Derozan, Jakob Poeltl, protected 2019 1st

 Raptors got: Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard

 Chris Haynes reports Kawhi has no desire to play in Toronto.

I have to wonder what the Raptors will do if Kawhi refuses to report. Masai Ujiri may end up looking like a total fool at the end of this.

 Fans should NEVER get mad when players leave a team. DD maybe the only player that came out and said he wanted to be a Raptor for life and loved the city..terrible move by the Raptors. Traded a player who wants to be there forever for a player who doesn’t want to be there. And they thought the HC was the problem. 

Let’s get one thing clear: the Raptors absolutely needed to trade DeRozan. The team, as currently constructed, is held back by how one-dimensional he is as a player. He’s a gifted scorer with one of the best mid-range games in the league, but he doesn’t really excel at anything else, and he’s proven that he doesn’t have the mental toughness to overcome adversity in the playoffs. 

However, trading him for a star player with one year left on his deal and doesn’t want to play for you is a really short-sighted move. On paper, Leonard has the tools to carry the team in a multitude of ways DeRozan couldn’t. But one of the biggest strengths the Raptors had this year was their chemistry, and now you’re bringing in someone whose attitude is going to be cloud over the franchise and undoubtedly cause issues both on and off the court. I guess Ujiri is hoping Kawhi can get past his frustration and make them a contender for one year before he inevitably leaves for LA, and after that, the Raptors will go full rebuild. 

The trade, while not as bad for the Spurs, still isn’t great. Last year, even without Leonard, the Spurs were toward the top of the league in defensive efficiency, so the fact that DeRozan isn’t the lockdown defender is shouldn’t hurt them too much. However, if they’re depending on him to be a leader in the playoffs, I think they’ll be disappointed. Aldridge is going to have to be the go-to guy. 

I have to say, though, the Lakers not pulling the trigger early on a deal for Kawhi is pretty brilliant. They’ll ultimately end up getting their guy in free agency next year without having to give up Kuzma, Ingram or Ball. 

 I like the deal for the Spurs. Was anyone offering anything better? Derozan is a handy player and if anyone can get the best out of him and fit him into an offence it’s Pop. Poeltl could be an ace in the hand for Spurs in this trade. I rate him highly and think he will excel in the Spurs system. Those predicting the Spurs to miss the finals may be disappointed. 

 raptors are completly delusional. They just gave up their best player for a guy who does not want to be there and will be bounce next year. Do they honestly think anyone is going to trade for Leonoard and give up valuable assets knowing he is going the lakers or clippers next year? Why would the lakers or clippers give up anything knowing they will get him for free next year. Toronto…sigh

 Have the full details of the trade beyond kawhi and derozan been leaked at all yet?

 Kawhi not gonna play for them. Derozan is upset too

If Toronto had any type of common sense, they would attempt to flip the Kawhi Leonard rental to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins. If anybody that would be ecstatic, it will be Jimmy Butler for the time being, which may be a trickle-down effect on Leonard to be somewhat “motivated” to play this year, before heading to a larger market.

 I hope Raptors are able to convince him to re-sign.

Is this real life? The Raptors are throwing away the one franchise player who actually wanted to stay after having so many of the previous ones bounce. Sure they probably weren’t going to win  chip with him but you give him away for someone who is a one year rental and quite possibly will continue to fake his injury next season, he may not even play one game for them as far as we know.

On the other hand Popp screws over Leonard in the most Popp way possible, meanwhile DeRozan actually isn’t a bad fit and it’s a huge upgrade over someone who wasn’t playing anyways. Not saying they will beat the Warriors but they just made themselves a legit team again.

All props to Popps and I truly feel sorry for all Raptors fans.

 Wanted palm trees and sunshine, got pine trees and snow lol

 I would not be surprised if he fails to report and is willing to have the 20mil on his contract voided.

I’ve lived in Toronto, I don’t think 20mil is enough to do it again. That’s being honest by the way. You are too bound to being indoors for at least 4 months a year. There’s nothing noteworthy that would ever draw me back to visit let alone live there. In Australia we have access to everything you get in Canada, my kids live near the beach and get sun all year round, high level education and healthcare and our jobs pay well. If I was honestly offered 20mil to go to TO, I wouldn’t give up my life for it. I have a normal job and 20mil would be several lifetimes worth of money.

Now, think about Kawhi who can play basketball to get 20mil per YEAR. That’s not including endorsements. Consider the fact he already has millions. Consider the difference in quality of life between the north pole and SoCal where he could sign a contract worth 9 figures. I would not be surprised if he fails to report. If he cared about he money he wouldn’t have spurned a $220+ mil contract in Texas (low state taxes). It’s not really done, but in this case where it’s all been about the principle, don’t be surprised if this saga continues. Will he even pass a physical?

Wow. Give the Spurs credit. I’m surprised they were able to pull this off. That’s a huge haul for a player who’ll clearly be an one year rental and has stated such a strong desire to play in Los Angeles. Not only that, nobody knows how healthy he is. 

I’ve read and heard reports that DeMar DeRozan is upset, but I honestly think the Spurs is an ideal situation for him to improve as a basketball player. Once he gets out of his feelings, he’ll see that. He’s going to grow as a player at both ends of the floor. 

As for the Raptors, they’re taking a huge risk. I know the gamble the Thunder took trading for Paul George worked out, but it helped having Russell Westbrook. I’d honestly be SHOCKED if Kawhi Leonard resigned with the Raptors. Regardless of how well they do, I think he’s gone. For the Raptors to make this deal considering such a large risk, they must’ve been ready to move on from DeRozan and just lost faith in his ability to take the Raptors to the next level. 

You have to feel bad for DeRozan. Almost everyone thought he would leave Toronto and join his hometown Lakers. But dude was loyal and resigned with Raptors. Becuz he wanted to build his own legacy with Raptors. But his Disappearance act against Cleveland had to be a concern.When u get a chance to add a Top 5 player to your team. In a conference that’s now up for Grabs, u do it.

 Kawhi Leonard has always been injury prone. He became the player he is because of the spurs organisation. 

 One year rental and they gave up former lotto pick Poetell (who they selected ahead Sabonis even after Sabonis outplayed him head to head)

Raptors on a downhill slide

 The Spurs have got a nice deal out of this. DeRozan is an All NBA player so imagine what Gregg Pppovich can do with him. Poeltl will have LMA and Pau to help mentor him too.

Thry have really stuck one up on Kawhi moving him to Canada.

I get the risk from Toronto’s perspective. This team, as is, wasn’t going to go much further. But banking on Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry to be your team leaders and to stay healthy…good luck!

Good move for SA. Schematically, Pop can unlock some things for Kawhi to become more effecient offensively. Poeltl is very young and can play. He has great hands, touch, and solid footwork. Learning from then eventually taking over for Pau can only help. I think now they have no choice but to start Bellineli at one of the wing spots and bring Gay off the bench, because Gay, DeMar, and LMA do their damage from similar spots on the floor. But that lineup is going to suffer some defensively.

I think this trade shows that neither the Sixer nor Lakers were willing to give up anything close what people were saying.

Saw one report that the Sixers had offered Saric, Covington and multiple picks. I think we now know that’s false.

Gregg Poppovich is nearing 70 so wants to be win now, not go into rebuild. They have money committed to LMA etc so if he can help DeRozan make his game even better it’s a good move for the Spurs.

Poeltl they can also look to try and improve aqnd he goes into a real winning mentality team so does DeRozan for that instance.

DeRozan was all NBA 2nd Team last season so Spurs have got a damn good player – just don’t mention the play offs!