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The Toronto Raptors Field Hierarchy s & # 39 is gathered in a Bay Area restaurant during the awards ceremony. A 2017 and have reached a decisive moment in their partnership.
The coach of the time, Dwane Casey, made the presentation to DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry at this meeting: More iso-ball. More mid-range. In order for the Raptors to double their coach and their core, they had to space the ground and share the ball.
A few months later, DeRozan was called into the office of the director, that of the chairman of the Masai Ujiri team. DeRozan later told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com that when he was summoned to the meeting – which also included general manager Bobby Webster and the three top coaches of the team – he thought negotiated. In fact, the purpose of the meeting was to talk about DeRozan to get more than three.
After a season of 59 wins, LeBron James' services collapsed with another embarrbading result, the result that DeRozan feared in December. finally arrived on Wednesday. DeRozan, four-time star player, was sent to the San Antonio Spurs with Jakob Poeltl and a very protected first-round pick for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in 2019.
And so, the Raptors are now in the foreground the new NBA's high-stake free agent recruiting game: the one in which you trade against an impending free agent, then spend a whole season recruiting him to stay.
"They're doing Paul George's thing," a prominent officer told Bleacher Report on Wednesday. "They take a calculated risk."
But according to the estimation of multiple agents and rival team leaders who spoke with B / R on condition of anonymity, it is about a relatively little risk for the Raptors.
On one side, it became clear that Toronto was not going anywhere with the DeRozan-Lowry backcourt. Add that it was widely known that Leonard wanted to get out of San Antonio, and the opportunity was presented for Ujiri to shake the lineup and get a defensive player out of it. 39, year twice to build around – while giving
Another defeat in the playoffs with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan leading the Raptors Jason Miller / Getty Images
Yet there is a risk involved – a very real, a said two league sources who believe Leonard is hellbent to sign with the Lakers as a free agent next summer. Ujiri, who was in Kenya on Wednesday and unavailable to comment, will spearhead Leonard's attendance during the Raptors years in hopes of convincing him to trust his vision, to become the face of the only NBA franchise in Canada and re-sign for five $ 1906 million next summer.
The Lakers could not offer a four-year deal for $ 141 million, but they could also offer Leonard the opportunity to play in his hometown of Los Angeles and team up with James. 19659004] This bargaining trend for a potential free agent and recruiting him on your own ground and conditions began to seriously in 2011, when the Clippers acquired Chris Paul of New Orleans. Paul has twice re-signed with the Clippers before making his way to Houston in a successful trade last summer.
But the biggest blow was won by Oklahoma City Thunder, who acquired George from Indiana last July. his contract before he touches a free agency. Thunder GM Sam Presti and coach Billy Donovan spent last year selling George on their franchise and their vision – not to mention fondling his ego. In a dizziness, George decided to re-sign with thunder this summer on a $ 137 million four-year deal.
"Who would have thought Paul George would stay in Oklahoma City?" the leading agent said. "And Toronto is a much better city, even if it's not near."
While Leonard wonders if he wants to be the King of Canada or play with King in LA, Ujiri holds an badet. As Lowe points out, if the Raptors have the feeling that Leonard is tied to Los Angeles, they could still trade him elsewhere by the February deadline – by recovering enough from them they gave up for justify the game.
Also, since Ujiri took over the basketball operations of the Raptors in 2013, his desire has always been to redo the organization to his desired image. But his unfortunate agreement to send Lowry to the Knicks in 2013 – nixed by James Dolan president of Madison Square Garden, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today – derailed those who rebuild plans. The Raptors continued to win, and Ujiri continued to overtake Casey and the nucleus badembled by former executive Bryan Colangelo.
Until this summer. Beginning with the dismissal of Casey – who was later named coach of the year of the NBA – and now with the successful contract for Leonard, Ujiri has finally started the proce inevitably ssus of "There is no risk for Masai," said a GM of the Western Conference at B / R. "It's a splashy move for a temporary win with upside.If this does not not work, they go into a rebuild, which was what he wanted to do when he took over. "
After seeing their relationship with Leonard deteriorate at the Point of No Return this season, the Spurs had no choice but to move it. It's a hub for the NBA's model organization, which saw Tony Parker sign with Charlotte and is now waiting for clarity on how long Gregg Popovich will wander off. Considering their decreased leverage, the Spurs could have done worse than landing an All-Star four times in the case.
Trade is a clear victory for the Raptors, also – at least in the short term, as long as Leonard is healthy enough to regain his status as a top-five player in the league. But even if Toronto loses in the long run – even though Leonard is loyal to all the buzz that surrounds him and to the locks for the Lakers next summer – c & rsquo; Was a risk to take. [19659004] And although there will be many teams with a maximum of dollars to pitch to Leonard the next summer – including the Lakers – there is only one team that will have a full year to recruit, every day. And it turns out that it's the only team in Canada.
"It's a big market, but it's not super big," said the agent. "For me, that matches Kawhi's personality."
In just under 12 months, we'll know if that's true. Meanwhile, for a team at a critical moment in its life, Kawhi Leonard's recruitment began.
Ken Berger covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @KBergNBA .
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