Toronto Raptors: Grading summer moves at the halfway mark

The blockbuster trade

While it was pretty hard on the stomach for any NBA fan watching the Raptors trade away DeMar DeRozan, it just had to be done. The team was simply not producing in the postseason, and wasting both a player’s prime years and the team’s valuable time is simply never the way to go.

Thus, on July 18, the Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs agreed on a trade that would exchange superstars, following Leonard’s demand for a trade:

Initially, many people criticized Toronto’s choice. Most of the team’s fans thought that trading your franchise player for what could easily be a one-year Kawhi Leonard rental is just not worth it.

But the truth is, the team has been performing at a very high level — so good that one cannot honestly believe that Kawhi could abandon this team for a different destination in July.

Leonard has proved to be a straight-up guy. He wanted a trade and made sure his organization knew. Now, with no chemistry or other sorts of issues involved, the trade seems to be shaping up quite nicely for the Raptors.

Add Danny Green to the mix, who’s been the team’s starting shooting guard since the season began and you have yourself a successful trade.

Even though the San Antonio Spurs now have the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, it did take some time for them to adjust to the new leader in DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors have been consistently dominant, always owning one of the top-two seeds in the East and positioning themselves for a legitimate chance at reaching the NBA Finals.

Grade: A+