NBA: San Antonio Spurs send unhappy Kawhi Leonard to Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan in major exchange



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San Antonio's unhappy playmaker, Kawhi Leonard, will visit the Toronto Raptors in an NBA trade deal that will send DeMar DeRozan to the Spurs, Raptors and Spurs confirmed Wednesday.

The movement sends Leonard and guard Danny Green to Toronto for DeRozan, the great Austrian man Jakob Poeltl and a draft pick in the first round of the NBA in 2019.

  Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio Spurs. Reuters

Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio Spurs. Reuters

Leonard played just nine games for the Spurs last season, missing the first 27 games of the campaign with a right quadriceps injury and then a left shoulder injury.

Spurs medical staff allowed Leonard to return to But the 27-year-old striker received a second opinion from his own doctors who told him that he needed more rebellion.

While he was staying away, the Spurs struggled. His teammates asked him to come back but he stayed away and the Spurs were ousted by the eventual Golden State champion in the first round of the playoffs

The Raptors, meanwhile, had the Eastern Conference's best record and have been crowned before being swept out of the playoffs by final runner-up Cleveland. DeRozan and others have been criticized for their playoff flop after the club's best season in history.

Leonard, who was the most valuable player in the NBA to help the Spurs win the 2014 title, had 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 badists. The NBA seasons, all with the Spurs, averaged 25.5 points per career game in the 2016-17 campaign

DeRozan, a 28-year-old guard, spent the nine seasons of his NBA with the Raptors, averaging 27.3 points in the 2016-17 campaign. He has career averages of 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 badists per game and has helped American teams win the 2016 Rio Basketball World Cup and the Rio Olympics.

Leonard does not want to play in Toronto, ESPN reported, but is expected to earn $ 20 million next season and does not appear to have any health problems, indicating that he could attend the camp's United States national team next week in Las Vegas. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the coach of the US National Team

DeRozan reacted on Wednesday to an Instagram spot, seeming to say that the Raptors told him that he was the only one in the world. he would not be sent to San Antonio in a Leonard exchange.

"I've told one thing and the result of another, I can not trust them, it's not a loyalty in this game. Sell yourself quickly for a small nothing, "said DeRozan. "Soon you will understand."

While the Raptors risk losing Leonard after a season when he becomes a free agent, DeRozan signed a five-year contract with the Raptors worth $ 139 million in 2016.

Leonard, who is from Los Angeles, was a target of the Los Angeles Lakers, who added LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar, earlier this month and have saved money for free agents in 2019, potentially with an eye on Leonard.

He had 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds last season for the Raptors in his second NBA campaign.

Green averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 badists in 520 games for the Spurs, helping them win the 2014 NBA in Cleveland.

San Antonio, I can not express the LOVE that I have for you, the city, the fans and the organization, "Green writes in a publication on Instagram. I want to thank you for letting me be part of something amazing for so many years.

"Looking forward to my next trip to TORONTO!"

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