Unless you’re not a fan of the NBA and are simply a devoted football fan, you may have heard of another gargantuan piece of NBA news to hit the mainstream media.
In a shocking move, the San Antonio Spurs shipped off two-way-superstar-turned-prodigal-son Kawhi Leonard alongside Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a heavily protected 2019 first-round pick.
The trade greatly affected the outright odds of the two teams in leading betting websites such as SBOBET. However, it’s hard to discuss trades and not speculate on which side won and which side took the L.
It would be unfair to say that one side clearly won the trade as there are huge repercussions that come with the trades that were made by both teams. You can say that the immediate winners of the trade will eventually turn out to be the biggest losers come next summer.
We will take a look at the trade that took place and judge which parties for now won and lost the trade.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
It’s hard to see someone who had to part with the franchise centrepiece that they groomed into the man that he is as winners of a mega-trade, but seeing them as anything other than winners after snagging this trade.
The season has been an odd one for the Spurs to the point that barbs have been exchanged between Gregg Popovich and Kawhi’s camp through the media. After failing to sort out their differences, the Spurs accepted the inevitable and looked to trade away their star piece.
The Lakers immediately came knocking and looked for a way to bring the Compton native back to his home city. However, there was no way that the Spurs would allow their star man to make their future playoff forays more difficult by joining the Lakers.
Having him join Toronto is the best decision basketball-wise. Not only do they get an already-great baller in DeRozan who will definitely buy into the system, they also acquire a talented project in Poeltl and a first-round pick in next year’s draft.
I think Spurs fans should be excited with the prospect of having DeRozan pair up with LaMarcus Aldridge and form a dominant duo in Spurs Land.
Loser: Kawhi Leonard
I am still confused as to how Kawhi Leonard ended up a Raptor.
He used to be one of the best players to watch in the NBA. He didn’t make much fuss with the media. He was a multi-millionaire who still drove a ’97 Chevrolet Tahoe. He used coupons to get free wings. He was the perfect prototype of what a Spurs player is.
Then things went weird. He didn’t play all but nine regular season games for the Spurs, frustrating many of his team-mates and coaches. Some whisper that the people around him caused this irreparable discord between him and the franchise.
If he ever regretted what he did, it’s too late for him to turn back now. He is still a superb player who averaged 26-6-4 during his best year as a Spur. There’s no question that he will perform for the Raptors.
However, everyone knows that it is not his dream destination. Will he keep his head down and toil in his final guaranteed year? Or will he pull off a similar stunt to last year’s?
Winner: DeMar DeRozan
There’s a certain set of Laker fans that also called for DeMar DeRozan to come home and play for the Purple and Gold. However, he chose to display his loyalty to the team that drafted him and decided to build his future with the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors faithful — broken by the departures of Chris Bosh, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady — were understandably elated with his commitment. However, it seems like Kawhi’s allure was too much for Masai Ujiri to resist and pulled the plug on DeRozan’s career as a Raptor.
He was understandably hurt by the franchise’s betrayal, going to Instagram Stories to exhale the frustration out of his lungs. However, this trade is definitely good for his career moving forward.
He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Sure, he will be playing in the same conference as his basketball bogeyman again, but he will be playing with one of the best coaches in the game. I fully expect his 23 ppg average last season to increase under Popovich’s system.
Loser: Toronto Raptors
Sure, losing year after year to James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs can break any man. However, I never thought the Raptors could just easily trade their LA man for another Compton kid who reportedly doesn’t even want to be there.
DeRozan has been a part of many of Toronto Raptors highlights for the better half of the decade, and it was a poor move for them to poorly communicate their intention to send their franchise star away in a blockbuster trade.
Of course, the trade was a great basketball move. Kawhi is a force that can affect both ends of the floor with a swipe of his abnormally large hands. GM Ujiri is confident that the Raptors are now a championship-caliber team with the Leonard acquisition.
However, the task for the entire Raptors franchise is to convince Kawhi that the East and the North is a better place for him to play winning basketball. They have to convince him that the great city of Toronto, ON is a place where he can grow roots and thrive as a man and a basketball player.
If Kawhi will be as mum as he was during his last year in the Lone Star State, then the franchise will be taken for a long, painful and confusing ride this season.
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