Spurs, Raptors make Kawhi-DeRozan blockbuster official
The San Antonio Spurs have officially traded Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected first-round pick, the Spurs announced.
The pick is top-20 protected in 2019, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. If it does not convey next season, it will reportedly become two future second-round picks.
The two sides had reportedly been discussing the framework of a trade for two weeks, the culmination of nearly a year of growing division between Leonard and the Spurs. Amid a prolonged recovery from injury, Leonard made just nine appearances for the team in 2017-18, sitting out the entire postseason.
Since being selected No. 15 overall in 2011, Leonard has blossomed into one of the league's top two-way players when healthy, averaging 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game over seven seasons. His breakout proved critical to the Spurs' 2014 championship-winning squad, for which he was named the Finals MVP.
Neither player is reportedly keen on the possibility of moving to their respective potential destinations.
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The move directly contradicts the Raptors' reported insistence to DeRozan he would not be traded when the two sides met in Las Vegas earlier this month. The 28-year-old took to his personal Instagram page early Wednesday morning with messages that appear to allude to the pending trade situation: "Be told one thing and the outcome another. Can't trust em. Ain't no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing."
Related - Report: DeRozan upset by trade, feels he was lied to by Raptors
In nine seasons with Toronto, DeRozan has averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, lifting the franchise to an unprecedented five straight playoff appearances and being named to an All-NBA team twice.