The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to trade All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, ESPN reports, ending a season-long saga surrounding Leonard's discontent in Texas. The former Finals MVP played just nine games last season, the result of a confusing and opaque battle with a lingering thigh injury.
Leonard has just one year remaining on his contract and is widely expected to pursue a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency next summer. ESPN's Chris Haynes reported that Leonard has "no desire to play in Toronto," per a league source, while Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix agreed that Leonard is likely a "one-year rental for the Raps."
The rental comes with a steep price: Toronto has reportedly agreed to send their own All-Star, guard DeMar DeRozan, to San Antonio. DeRozan was the Raptors' leading scorer last season at 23 points per game, and is close with his backcourt-mate and fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry. Haynes additionally reported that DeRozan was told by team brass earlier this summer that he would not be traded — a rumor the player himself seemed to confirm with a cynical post on his Instagram Story early Wednesday. TNT's David Aldridge confirmed DeRozan is "extremely upset" about the move.
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Longtime Spurs guard Danny Green is also heading north in the deal, while the Raptors will lose second-year center Jakob Poeltl. The deal won't be finalized until all players pass the requisite physical — a procedure that Aldridge noted is "not nothing" given Leonard's mysterious quad injury. Still, The Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur said that because the Raptors keep young assets Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, the trade is "worth the risk."
