NBA: 5 takeaways from Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade
It is being reported that the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors have agreed on a trade involving Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan. Here are the biggest takeaways from this move.
The Toronto Raptors had an impressive 2017-18 campaign. Not only did they finish with the top record in the Eastern Conference, they also posted a franchise-best 59 wins.
After dispatching the Washington Wizards in six games in the first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs, the Raptors ran into an all too familiar foe in LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals. As you may recall, the Cavaliers had defeated the Raptors in each of the past two postseasons, but with the coveted home-court advantage, this encounter was supposed to have a different outcome.
When it all said and done though, the Cavaliers came out on top once again, sweeping the Raptors for the second consecutive year. With that mind, changes were all but expected.
The first change came in the form of firing Dwyane Casey, who had won the Coach of the Year award. Another major change came in the form of a trade agreement Wednesday morning, with the Raptors sending DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
San Antonio has agreed to trade Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Trade call with league office is beginning momentarily. https://t.co/6DZNdAs8BM
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 18, 2018
What does this mean for both sides? Here’s a look at the biggest takeaways from this blockbuster trade.