Hoops Habit
Fansided

Each NBA team’s best trade in franchise history

By Christopher Jeter

(Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser /NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser /NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Toronto Raptors

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poltl and a first-round pick (to SA) (2018)

This Toronto Raptors deal equated to going to a GameStop or a more reputable video game store and trading your PlayStation 3 for a Playstation 4. Sure, your PS3 works fine and the game’s graphics still hold up well, but the PS4 does everything your old game system does, but better.

In this case, however, DeMar DeRozan is probably a PS2 that masqueraded as a PS3 before getting shipped out. The former USC Trojan was a reliable All-Star and was easily one of the best players in Raptors history, but everyone knew his relatively limited skills inhibited the team’s championship aspirations.

So team president Masai Ujiri took a big gamble prior to the 2018-19 season and traded DeRozan, Jakob Poltl and a 2019 first-round pick to the Spurs for disgruntled star Kawhi Leonard. Again, this was a huge risk on Toronto’s part — DeRozan’s teammate and friend Kyle Lowry wasn’t pleased with the trade and everyone knew that Leonard wanted to play in his hometown Los Angeles, making him a one-year rental — so this move represented the team’s singular “championship-or-bust” mentality.

Thankfully, the team made the most of this one chance. With Leonard (.224 WS/48 in the regular season, .249 in the playoffs) leading the way, the Raptors won 58 games, blew past the overmatched Magic in the first round, sank the 76ers with the shot of the year in the conference semis, locked down the Bucks in the conference finals, and unseated the banged-up Warriors to win their first NBA Title. Guess the Raptors and the “Board Man” got the last laugh.