First the head coach was shown the door. Now a franchise cornerstone is being shipped out.
The Toronto Raptors continue to make big changes after yet another post-season disappointment, with the latest move a whopper of a deal that will send DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors confirmed the deal Wednesday afternoon in a news release. Toronto also acquired Danny Green in the trade while the Spurs also got Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 protected first-round draft pick.
The blockbuster came just a couple months after Toronto fired head coach Dwane Casey and replaced him with former assistant Nick Nurse. The Raptors finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 59-23 record last season but were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs for the second straight year.
DeRozan, a four-time all-star swingman, has led the Raptors in scoring in each of the last five seasons. He was popular with fans and teammates during his nine-year run with the team, once famously declaring B次元官网网址淚 am Toronto.B次元官网网址�
The 28-year-old from Compton, Calif., posted some messages on his Instagram account earlier in the day that suggested he wasnB次元官网网址檛 expecting to be dealt.
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B次元官网网址淏e told one thing & the outcome another. CanB次元官网网址檛 trust em. AinB次元官网网址檛 no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothingB次元官网网址� Soon youB次元官网网址檒l understand B次元官网网址� DonB次元官网网址檛 disturb,B次元官网网址� he said.
Leonard, meanwhile, spent seven years in San Antonio but appeared in only nine games last season due to a leg injury, described as right quadriceps tendinopathy. The Spurs listed the 27-year-old forward as out on their injury reports for much of the season, citing B次元官网网址渋njury management.B次元官网网址�
Leonard helped the Spurs win a championship in 2014 and was named NBA Finals MVP. But his relationship with the team deteriorated last season and the two-time NBA defensive player of the year asked for a trade.
If healthy, Leonard would give Toronto a bonafide superstar in a lineup that includes veterans like Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka along with young talents like O.G. Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright.
During the 2016-17 season, Leonard averaged a career-best 25.5 points a game and was third in the MVP voting. He can become a free agent next summer while DeRozan has three years left on his contract.
DeRozan was selected by Toronto with the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was a regular starter almost right away and soon became an anchor on the Raptors, who have made five straight playoff appearances but have never made it to the NBA Finals.
B次元官网网址淣o matter whatB次元官网网址hen I think of Toronto Raptors BasketballB次元官网网址� I think of DeMar DeRozanB次元官网网址e deserves a statue,B次元官网网址� former teammate DeMarre Carroll posted on Twitter.
DeRozan is the RaptorsB次元官网网址� all-time leader in points (13,296), field goals made (4,716), free throws made (3,539) and games played (675).
Green, a 31-year-old shooting guard, started 60 games for the Spurs last year and is a three-point threat. He averaged 8.6 points per game last season and has spent most of his nine-year NBA career in San Antonio.
Poeltl, a 22-year-old centre, averaged 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds as a key bench player for Toronto last season. The Austrian is entering his third NBA campaign.
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With files from The Associated Press
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
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