The blockbuster trade is not what Kawhi Leonard or DeMar DeRozan were hoping for this summer



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DeRozan asked the Raptors the assurance that he had not moved in recent days. He and his representatives met with Raptor officials at the NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas, according to a source, at a time when Toronto insisted that he was not going l & # 39; exchange. Now, DeRozan feels "lied to," said the source, and, while having no personal grudge with the Spurs, is extremely upset by the case.

Leonard is also not happy to go to Toronto, for several reasons, including the rate of death. higher taxation in Canada than in Texas, which has no income tax. Leonard's camp had informed the Spurs that he did not want to go there, but the Spurs were not making any promises. San Antonio had had some important discussions with the Philadelphia 76ers – a team that Leonard would have fallen in love with just to convince him to stay around he'd been able to make a deal with San Antonio. But the 76ers did not want to include goaltender Markelle Fultz, the former first draft pick in 2017, or forward Dario Saric in all of Leonard's proposals.

Leonard only played nine games last season, citing a injured quadrupled muscle. did not respond to treatment. In private, Leonard was unhappy with what he thought was bad advice from the Spurs medical staff and was seeking advice from his own group of doctors, withdrawing from San Antonio to continue treatment in New York at the end of the regular season and the playoffs.

Brent Barry thinks DeMar DeRozan can succeed in San Antonio.

The Spurs did not push Leonard during his rehabilitation, and sent back questions about his status during their first-round series with the Golden State Warriors at his camp. . Leonard's uncle acted as his agent in recent years

The Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, informed Wednesday Leonard's trade camp of what was considered a "cordial" conversation, according to a source. However, given the trade, Leonard is now considering not taking part in the USA Basketball mini-camp next week in Las Vegas. A final decision has not yet been made.

For his part, DeRozan, aged 28, made his feelings known in an Instagram post Wednesday, saying including: "This is not a loyalty in this game" after He is cared for by the only team for which he played for nine seasons in the NBA, and for whom he was only a first class ambassador.

How does Kawhi Leonard help the Raptors in 2018-1919?

The Raptors take DeRozan with the ninth pick in the 2009 draft, during which DeRozan becomes the leader of the franchise in several categories, including

He grew up as the franchise, which has led to the most successful period in his history alongside his friend and teammate star, Kyle Lowry. The backyard has been advertising together, taking a vacation with his family and leading Toronto to a record of victories, reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2016. Every lap, DeRozan has expressed his happiness in playing and to live in Toronto. Cross-country travels last season to be with his sick father in Los Angeles.

DeRozan redid his game as part of the "culture reset" demanded by general manager Masai Ujiri after Toronto was defeated in the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in 2017 – a familiar result, like James and Cleveland beat the Raptors in three consecutive posts. DeRozan relied less on isolation sets than in the past, trying to move more without the ball and abandoning it so that others could be more involved.

The Raptors have dramatically changed their field strategy during the 2017-18 season

Toronto has won 59 regular season regular season games and was seeded in the Conference of the year. East. However, Toronto suffered another playoff loss in Cleveland, this time a 4-0 sweep. It was particularly maddening given that the Cavaliers had been extended to a seventh game in their first-round series with Indiana, but they still managed to pull themselves out of a double-digit deficit. to shock the Raptors in the first game in Toronto. The Cavs then crossed the rest of the series

Ujiri fired coach Dwane Casey eventually, finally choosing assistant coach Nick Nurse as Casey's successor

but resetting the 39; team was not complete.

The Raptors firmly believe in their young core group of players, all of which have been developed by Toronto in recent seasons – guards Fred Van Vleet and Delon Wright, forwarding O.G. Anunoby and great man Pascal Siakham. Toronto first chose to keep its existing veterans around children, awarding DeRozan an extension of $ 138 million in 2016, then awarding Lowry and Serge Ibaka extensions last summer – Lowry concluded a three-year, $ 100 million agreement. $ 65 million over three years.

How do the Raptors fit into the East hierarchy with Kawhi Leonard in their mix?

However, after the final playoff debacle, the Raptors let it be known around the Draft that none of their players were untouchable.

If Toronto can take Leonard on board, the Raptors will have a potentially dynamic defensive group on the wings, with Leonard and Anunoby able to hold multiple positions. Ibaka is not the defender that he was in Oklahoma City, where he was the first all-defensive team three years in a row, but he's still a more defender at his position.

The 31-year-old enters the final year of his contract. Long considered one of the best two-way goalkeepers of the game, Green was outstanding in the seven-game loss against the Spurs in the 2013 finals, making 27 3-pointers in the series en route to a final. record.

Poeltl, 22, was ranked ninth in the overall standings by Toronto in the 2016 draft. He made rapid progress in the Raptors' rotation, averaging 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. last season.

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David Aldridge, longtime columnist at the NBA, columnist and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. You can send it by e-mail here, find his archives here and follow him on Twitter

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting

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