AleksandarN
Starter
Could we get involved as a third team and take on DeRozan's contract? Maybe slide him to the 3? I know most people wouldn't want him but could be intriguing. It's not like we could sign anyone of his caliber anyways.
DeMar DeRozan Kawhi Leonard Trade
- Thread starter AleksandarN
- Start date
CelticsFan
Bench
DeRozen is the prize for the Spurs, why would they trade him?
AleksandarN
Starter
Accelerate their rebuild. Dump some salary in process while getting what else they can get from Toronto. I know grasping at straws but having some of derozan caliber on our team would be exciting
Semi
Bench
Not happening. Spurs are taking DeRozan. Kings aren't involved.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...m-Spurs-For-Package-Centered-On-DeMar-DeRozan
The Toronto Raptors have agreed to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar Deorzan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first round pick. The first round pick is protected 1-20 in 2019 and becomes two second round picks if it doesn't convert.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...m-Spurs-For-Package-Centered-On-DeMar-DeRozan
The Toronto Raptors have agreed to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar Deorzan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first round pick. The first round pick is protected 1-20 in 2019 and becomes two second round picks if it doesn't convert.
LPKingsFan
All-Star
The Spurs clearly wish to remain competitive for another season or two, which may be Pop's last at the helm.
King Baller
All-Star
Kawhi to the Frozen North. Wait until the seasons change Kawhi, it is not like LA.
burekijogurt
Starter
I do not understand Raptors rationale here. do they think they will be able to keep Kawhi after this season or do they think they are ready to win this season with him? seems like they are just giving away DeRozan and a 1st rd pick for one year renatal.
I think that's exactly what their doing. With LeBron in LA the East looks to be down to Toronto and Boston and maybe Philly. There's a chance they can convince Leonard to stay but otherwise it's just a big gamble on this season.
But given that DeRozan was going to be a free agent a year later (and not a guy you want to be forced to max out and while might also bolt for LA anyway) and the pick will be a late 1st it's not that big of a price to pay unless you value Poeltl a lot more than I do.
Hoovtrain
All-Star
Kingz19
Hall of Famer
I think the Spurs made out pretty good with this deal. Got a star, a good young talent that I think Pop can find great use for and a pick.
I think it’s a fair risk for Toronto as well because prevailing wisdom was that they would have to blow up their core and rebuild sooner rather than later.
I think it’s a fair risk for Toronto as well because prevailing wisdom was that they would have to blow up their core and rebuild sooner rather than later.
steelevt
All-Star
The asset would be cap space. Raptors still get kwahi as the prize and lower their tax hit while Spurs get derozen. If you follow the time line adding green and poet were to make the salaries match. That's where we could have come in.
King Baller
All-Star
He would be risking a lawsuit for breach of contract. NBA would probably step in.
Blob
Starter
Did you see their 0-4 playoff performance vs Cavs? After the fiasco of Game 1, a game they gave away, by missing easy tip ins at buzzer, they looked like the Kings at their worst! Towards the end of that series LeBron was toying with them taking fadeaway shots from both sides like shooting in an empty gym. The Raptors were mentally weak, psychologically devastated, the demons of the past returned, leading to firing of Casey. But they needed to do more than get rid of the coach. Even with LeBron going West, there is still the Celtics well ahead of them at full strength.
To get out of the East, the Raptors need someone to match up against all the wings on the Celtics: Brown, Tatum, Hayward. They also need to break up that Lowry DeRozan duo. We have seen enough. I think it is a gamble they had to take and hope it can be a Paul George situation where the guy is hesitant and opposed then has change of heart. I think Kawhi wanted to get away from Pop and teammates he felt betrayed him (Parker, Manu). I think there is a stronger motivation to leave San Antonio than go to Los Angeles. It is hard to say. Kawhi is a weird dude. There is never been such a reclusive superstar so who knows what he is thinking. In my experience guys with his type of personality are deferential to stronger personalities around him. Part of him wanting to go LA for example could just be his pseudo-agent uncle telling him thats where he should be.
As far as how this effects us, Jakob Poetl is a pretty good player coming to the West. Another reason to throw max dollars at Capela
Blob
Starter
I think the Raptors could rescind the deal if he does not take his physical. So if he doesn't report they could technically say he did not pass his physical. But the Raptors could also waive the right to his physical and the deal becomes finalized.
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
I can see Kawhi changing his mind about playing in Toronto once the season is up. Toronto has a lot of appeal, other than the freezing cold but it's a big market and he can be one of the main stars headlining the East. Meanwhile, I have this feeling that DeRozan won't like playing for Pop because how disciplined of a coach he is and by the book so to speak, I can see DeRozan booking it elsewhere when he's a FA.
burekijogurt
Starter
Did you see their 0-4 playoff performance vs Cavs? After the fiasco of Game 1, a game they gave away, by missing easy tip ins at buzzer, they looked like the Kings at their worst! Towards the end of that series LeBron was toying with them taking fadeaway shots from both sides like shooting in an empty gym. The Raptors were mentally weak, psychologically devastated, the demons of the past returned, leading to firing of Casey. But they needed to do more than get rid of the coach. Even with LeBron going West, there is still the Celtics well ahead of them at full strength.
To get out of the East, the Raptors need someone to match up against all the wings on the Celtics: Brown, Tatum, Hayward. They also need to break up that Lowry DeRozan duo. We have seen enough. I think it is a gamble they had to take and hope it can be a Paul George situation where the guy is hesitant and opposed then has change of heart. I think Kawhi wanted to get away from Pop and teammates he felt betrayed him (Parker, Manu). I think there is a stronger motivation to leave San Antonio than go to Los Angeles. It is hard to say. Kawhi is a weird dude. There is never been such a reclusive superstar so who knows what he is thinking. In my experience guys with his type of personality are deferential to stronger personalities around him. Part of him wanting to go LA for example could just be his pseudo-agent uncle telling him thats where he should be.
As far as how this effects us, Jakob Poetl is a pretty good player coming to the West. Another reason to throw max dollars at Capela
i understand Raptors need to shake things up, I just figure they could get something more “permanent” for DeRozan than Kawhi.
Kawhi's only leverage is to say that he'll bolt after the season. The Raptors are clearly okay with that risk.
Beyond that he can threaten to not play, threaten (or actually choose) to not report, or retire.
I don't think he'll risk sitting out for a full season and I can't imagine him retiring.
At the end of the day, it's a contract year for him so his best strategy is to go to Toronto and have the best season possible.
Beyond that he can threaten to not play, threaten (or actually choose) to not report, or retire.
I don't think he'll risk sitting out for a full season and I can't imagine him retiring.
At the end of the day, it's a contract year for him so his best strategy is to go to Toronto and have the best season possible.
Blob
Starter
I hear you but DeRozan has his own issues. Hasn't established three point shot, dubious leadership, owed 28/28/28 over next three seasons. I get this gamble from Raptors side. Paying DeRozan 3/84 is not appealing to me knowing his limitations and total flop in the playoffs.
Padrino
All-Star
This is such a fascinating situation, featuring two all-star talents, neither of whom actually want to play for the team to whom they're being traded. It seems rare for trade partners to absorb this kind of risk in a swap where nobody comes away looking like a clear winner, and nobody's entirely happy about the circumstances of the trade. Toronto must really be hoping that Leonard--a Los Angeles native like DeRozan--falls in love with the city and its notoriously raucous fans in the same way that DeRozan did. The trouble is that they've only got one season to sell him on Toronto as his new home, and Leonard is quite the mercurial and closed-off individual. I suppose Paul George's decision to remain in Oklahoma City is an instructive example of the conventional wisdom being wrong, but Leonard and George are vastly different personalities.
For the Spurs, it will certainly be interesting to see how DeRozan fares on a Gregg Popovich-coached team. It will also be interesting to see how Pop fares in what are surely his final years as an NBA coach. His contract with the Spurs runs until next summer. Will he sign an extension? For how long? How much gas does he have left in the tank? He chose not to retire when Tim Duncan hung up his spurs, and Kawhi Leonard's upward trajectory no doubt played a part in that decision. Leonard was meant to be Pop's next project, the transcendent two-way player he could develop and comfortably leave behind to carry on the Spurs' legacy of excellence. DeRozan is not without talent, but he's nowhere near transcendent. Pop's Midas Touch will probably keep the Spurs in the playoffs, but I do wonder how long he wants to endure the likelihood of first- and second-round exits in his sunset years.
For the Spurs, it will certainly be interesting to see how DeRozan fares on a Gregg Popovich-coached team. It will also be interesting to see how Pop fares in what are surely his final years as an NBA coach. His contract with the Spurs runs until next summer. Will he sign an extension? For how long? How much gas does he have left in the tank? He chose not to retire when Tim Duncan hung up his spurs, and Kawhi Leonard's upward trajectory no doubt played a part in that decision. Leonard was meant to be Pop's next project, the transcendent two-way player he could develop and comfortably leave behind to carry on the Spurs' legacy of excellence. DeRozan is not without talent, but he's nowhere near transcendent. Pop's Midas Touch will probably keep the Spurs in the playoffs, but I do wonder how long he wants to endure the likelihood of first- and second-round exits in his sunset years.
I think what this really came down to was that nobody else was really bidding on Kawhi.
Philly's package supposedly revolved around Saric and Covington. Nice players, but not enough for a guy who was a potential MVP candidate and maybe the best two way player in the NBA before his injury issues.
And the Lakers may have never even made an official offer. If they did I'd guess it was a lowball bid. Why give up much for a guy that you feel certain you can sign next offseason anyway?
I'm not sure why Toronto thinks they'll be able to convince him to stay. Kawhi has already been a part of a well run franchise and won a title and he wanted out from there. Not to mention, they had an all-star who spurned his hometown L.A. teams to re-sign with the Raptors and they traded him against his wishes anyway. Not a great look.
Philly's package supposedly revolved around Saric and Covington. Nice players, but not enough for a guy who was a potential MVP candidate and maybe the best two way player in the NBA before his injury issues.
And the Lakers may have never even made an official offer. If they did I'd guess it was a lowball bid. Why give up much for a guy that you feel certain you can sign next offseason anyway?
I'm not sure why Toronto thinks they'll be able to convince him to stay. Kawhi has already been a part of a well run franchise and won a title and he wanted out from there. Not to mention, they had an all-star who spurned his hometown L.A. teams to re-sign with the Raptors and they traded him against his wishes anyway. Not a great look.
HndsmCelt
Hall of Famer
I agree with this take but I would also add that I doubt Pop took any offers from West Coast Teams seriously. He does not seem to be kid of guy who arms his competition.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
I like it because it hurts the Lakers. Sure, the Lakers could get Leonard in free agency for 2019-20, but LBJ turns 35 years old in that season and we've seen the Miami experience in which players need more than just one year to get comfortable with each other to win a championship (and that was three All Stars). No Paul George. No possibility of Leonard until LBJ turns 35. No championship. Maybe there might be some desperate and ill-advised moves from their front office to put them over the top. I hope so. It's all good.
I honestly think this is great news for the Lakers of the world long term. Players show no loyalty. Teams show no loyalty. I'm not sure which egg hatched first but now we're at a guy who took a discount to stay with Toronto getting shipped to San Antonio without his consent. This is going to hurt teams like us.
In the end, the message to players is clearer than ever and the Lakers are long the destination of players looking to get theirs.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
If they keep the core of young players, then yes, I agree with you. I just don't think that's going to happen. The pressure is enormous to win a championship in L.A. because they now have LBJ. I highly doubt they are willing to accept 6th or so in the west, and that's basically what they're looking at with the current lineup. The window of championship dreams is closing a little bit every single day because LBJ is on the downhill slide. In the end I think the Lakers sacrifice youth for experience to give them a shot at a title.
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