San Antonio Spurs: 3 reasons DeMar DeRozan is a perfect fit

DeMar DeRozan and Kawhi Leonard just swapped teams. Here’s why it’s a great deal for the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors have struck a deal exchanging star players Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan. The Spurs will receive DeRozan, Jakob Poetl and a protected first round pick. In return, the Raptors will receive Leonard and Danny Green.

The deal brings an anticlimactic end to the Kawhi Leonard saga that NBA fans have been so closely following since the start of last season. The trade comes as a bit of a surprise, as Leonard apparently had “no desire to play in Toronto,” as reported by Chris Haynes of ESPN less than 24 hours before the trade was announced.

After refusing to play for the better part of the 2017-18 season and making it clear he wanted to play in Los Angeles, Leonard will instead be moving up north. Raptors fans should be excited, as Leonard is now arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference (when healthy). As for the Spurs, they will get a valuable first round pick to help their rebuild process, a serviceable big man, and an All-Star shooting guard whose style of play is perfect for their system.

Let’s take a look at the top three reasons DeMar DeRozan is a perfect fit for the San Antonio Spurs, and why he will play a critical role in the next generation of Spurs basketball.