All DeMar DeRozan wanted from the Toronto Raptors - the organization he had spent all nine years of his career busting his tail for - was fair warning that there was a possibility he would be dealt.
The four-time All-Star feels he wasn't extended that courtesy ahead of being shipped to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a package for Kawhi Leonard. As a result, DeRozan finds himself "still in shock" that it even happened.
"I felt like I wasn't treated - with what I sacrificed for my years, you know - with the respect that I thought I deserved," DeRozan told ESPN's Chris Haynes on SportsCenter Tuesday night when asked how he felt he was traded by team president Masai Ujiri. "By just giving me the say-so of letting me know something's going on, or that there's a chance. That's all I wanted.
"I'm not saying you don't have to trade me. Just let me know something's going on, because I sacrificed everything. Just let me know, you know what I mean? That's all I ask. Everybody know I'm the most low-maintenance person in the world. Just let me know, so that I can prepare myself for whatever my next chapter is, and I didn't get that."
During a recent news conference, Ujiri apologized to DeRozan and his family for a "gap of miscommunication" on his part. The 28-year-old responded with a facepalm emoji on his Instagram account.
One line in particular that rubbed DeRozan the wrong way was when Ujiri stated that he "gave them a chance" to succeed upon arriving in 2013.
"I mean, when you say 'them,' that's kind of frustrating. Like, who is 'them'? You put the blame on just me and (former head coach Dwane) Casey? Because obviously we are the only two who had to suffer from the loss that we had in the Cleveland series. But it's only one team that we lost to in the postseason - and that team went to the Finals every single year. With an opportunity approaching itself, my mindset and the rest of my teammates' mindset was the only guy who was in the way of making that happen leaves," added DeRozan.
"Now we got a great opportunity to do something that we haven't been able to do. At the end of the day, I gave everything I had to that team. And it showed, it showed in the progress we made as a team and me as an individual. So when you put that out there saying 'gave them chances' and 'I have to do something'... It's B.S. to me."
Related: DeMar DeRozan was the soul of the Toronto Raptors
Toronto finished first in the Eastern Conference in 2017-18 with a franchise-best 59-23 record. Despite their regular-season success, the team was once again overpowered by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs, resulting in a sweep at the hands of The King for the second year in a row.
