Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are headed to the North for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a first round pick (protected from 1-20).
This is perplexing on several fronts. Here are my three quick thoughts:
Thought #1 Spurs could have gotten more.
DeRozan is an amazing player but Leonard is on a very short list of two-way impact players (Lebron James, Giannis Antetokunmpo, Anthony Davis) and the Spurs could have definitely gotten more for Leonard and Green.
Thought #2 Raptors are on a "rebuild" of sorts
Last years, the Raptors thought the answer to their Lebron problem was a different system. So they completely retooled their offense and sold their players on a gameplan that was meant to neutralize a very unevenly constructed Cavs team. That imploded spectacularly. It also led to the firing of NBA Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey. It has also led to the trade of DeRozan. And since Leonard and Green bring very different things to the table, the Raptors coaching staff are back to square one.
Thought #3 This trade will have a bigger impact on the NBA playoff scene than Lebron to the Lakers.
With Lebron James in the West and Kawhi Leonard in Toronto, the Raptors will be one of three teams favored to come out of the East. The Lakers, on the other hand, will still be underdogs to both the Rockets and the Warriors.
My take: Raptors won this one...1) If Kawhi Leonard plays and 2) If Kawhi Leonard plays like he did two years ago.
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