KAWHI LEONARD, DANNY GREEN TO TORONTO FOR DEMAR DEROZAN, JAKOB POELTL, PROTECTED 1ST

[Donald Kaufman]

Kyrie for IT was an all-NBA swap. They're pretty rare though. This time last year everyone thought Indy got fleeced on the PG trade, the reality was very different.

Good point though, it's rare to get full value when trading a superstar, and this is a unique case. KL's value as an asset was difficult to properly quantify, for a number of reasons. The true outcome of this trade - on all sides - won't be apparent until we see the product on the floor.

To think that the course of our franchise was derailed due in large part to Zaza Freaking Pachulia

[Rust In Peace]

I disagree, the Spurs seem to want to contend, so a guy that decrease his level at PO isn't good for Kawhi. Also he is a mediocre defender.
Kawhi barely played last year, but healthy he's a top5 player in the league, so that's not fair value. Plus another late pick that is heavily protected in case the Raps fall a litte bit...isn't great return.
Poetl is a decent prospect, but Siakam and OG were better fits with higher ceiling in my opinion. And he still has Aldridge and Gasol in that spot, so he would not play much more than in raptors.

The alternative was Kawhi leaving for nothing so this is absolutely a great return.

They were never going to get the crazy offers that fans were talking about. No one is giving up great young prospects for such a problematic player.

Poetl will play a lot more than the Raptors IMO, Gasol is like 40. I dont blame the Raptors for giving up OG or Siakam. No one else was offering great prospects for kawhi.

The thing you have to understand is that this is the best trade that was offered and its actually a hell of a return. Its a better return than the Pacers got for Paul George on paper.

IMHO Poetl is a great prospect if great means starter potential with a shot eventually at DPY. The very fact that Poetl has gone to the Spurs makes me think he has a shot to equal or surpass Siakam's potential. This was such solid pick up. OG would have been a huge loss for the Raps as he started for them last year as a rookie coming off ACL surgery and has just turned 21. What sane GM gives up on that?

Haha, no. His ceiling is a Tiago Splitter tier defender at best. DPOY potential is giving the scrub more credit than he's worth. He's got some good instincts but he's too foul prone to ever be a DPOY level defender.

[imagump1313]

Haha, no. His ceiling is a Tiago Splitter tier defender at best. DPOY potential is giving the scrub more credit than he's worth. He's got some good instincts but he's too foul prone to ever be a DPOY level defender.

I'll take a Tiago Splitter tier defender.

[Scott Hall]

I'm still pissed you guys stole Jakob from us soon as I heard these teams were negotiating I knew
Pop would insist that he's part of the deal.

[G R E Y]

Kyrie for IT was an all-NBA swap. They're pretty rare though. This time last year everyone thought Indy got fleeced on the PG trade, the reality was very different.

Good point though, it's rare to get full value when trading a superstar, and this is a unique case. KL's value as an asset was difficult to properly quantify, for a number of reasons. The true outcome of this trade - on all sides - won't be apparent until we see the product on the floor.

To think that the course of our franchise was derailed due in large part to Zaza Freaking Pachulia

There are many subplots now, including that Zaza is also in the Eastern conference, and coached by the guy Toronto fired. The best part, though, is that none of the drama concerns or affects us directly any longer.

We got good character assets that fill needs even though we were handcuffed. This can only result in a rejuvenated, more cohesive locker room with players who like each other, want to be here, and want to play for one another. It's a huge positive step forward.

[Morse Code]

We'll take our chances. I know you realize the staggeringly woeful impact DeRozan had over the Raptors for 8 seasons.

DeRozan helped the Raps achieve more than ever before in their franchise history. DeRozan also got better every single year. And he'll be an even better player for the Spurs, especially under Pop. Yeah, he's a bad defender, but he's still a better offensive player than Kawhi, imo.

We got to 47 wins without the player the team was structured around, and with nearly 200 games lost to injuries. So we had to restructure the O on the fly, and our D was solid. Consistent scoring was a big problem for us outside of LMA. I'm more of a 'you know what you've got' by year X with a player, so I'm not expecting miracles with DeRozan's defense, but I do think accountability will make him better, and I'm curious to see what Chip can do with him as well. DeRozan is not a locker room problem, so for that alone it has more value in than Leonard going out. Again, that impact probably can't be overstated, at least for us. Manu and Tony (and I think Pau) said they've never experienced anything like it in their whole careers. It's literally in Leonard's best interest to show up and play well, but it's those whispering in his ear that will be the challenge.

Before the Raptors existed I was a Spurs fan for years - since I was a kid watching David Robinson - and can tell you that you guys will like DeMar and love Jakob. An All-NBA Second Team player back for a guy who [barely] didn't even play last year, plus Yak is one of the smartest young players Toronto ever had (almost never made the same mistake twice, is a real student of the game). In a better system I think DeRozan can be a very good defender, plus he works incredibly hard all the time, it's his best attribute.

I really liked Jakob from what I saw of him, smart player like you said, with a broad skill set (even if more of a traditional C) and no drama. I never bought the whole 'DeRozan can't defend because he doesn't have the physical tools for it' argument. But he was never consistently required to do it, and never really demanded it of himself. He did respond well with Tucker in his ear about it, so for now the best thing I can say is a team that stresses D can only make him better. How much at this point remains to be seen, but that's the gamble you have to make when your D is already solid and we needed scoring.

I wish we could have gotten OG, too, but I think Woj or Shams tweeted that getting OG wasn't a deal breaker for us. We shore up scoring now, get a good prospect in a position of need, and a low pick. I thought we'd get more, but we were hampered by the weirdo circumstances, too.

You were my favorite poster on our board for a few years. Miss ya but always enjoy reading about the Spurs so it's good to have another enlightening perspective to read whenever I check the Spurs board. Hope Pop can do with DeMar what he's done with so many before him. Wish you guys the best.

[G R E Y]

DeRozan helped the Raps achieve more than ever before in their franchise history. DeRozan also got better every single year. And he'll be an even better player for the Spurs, especially under Pop. Yeah, he's a bad defender, but he's still a better offensive player than Kawhi, imo.

We got to 47 wins without the player the team was structured around, and with nearly 200 games lost to injuries. So we had to restructure the O on the fly, and our D was solid. Consistent scoring was a big problem for us outside of LMA. I'm more of a 'you know what you've got' by year X with a player, so I'm not expecting miracles with DeRozan's defense, but I do think accountability will make him better, and I'm curious to see what Chip can do with him as well. DeRozan is not a locker room problem, so for that alone it has more value in than Leonard going out. Again, that impact probably can't be overstated, at least for us. Manu and Tony (and I think Pau) said they've never experienced anything like it in their whole careers. It's literally in Leonard's best interest to show up and play well, but it's those whispering in his ear that will be the challenge.

Before the Raptors existed I was a Spurs fan for years - since I was a kid watching David Robinson - and can tell you that you guys will like DeMar and love Jakob. An All-NBA Second Team player back for a guy who [barely] didn't even play last year, plus Yak is one of the smartest young players Toronto ever had (almost never made the same mistake twice, is a real student of the game). In a better system I think DeRozan can be a very good defender, plus he works incredibly hard all the time, it's his best attribute.

I really liked Jakob from what I saw of him, smart player like you said, with a broad skill set (even if more of a traditional C) and no drama. I never bought the whole 'DeRozan can't defend because he doesn't have the physical tools for it' argument. But he was never consistently required to do it, and never really demanded it of himself. He did respond well with Tucker in his ear about it, so for now the best thing I can say is a team that stresses D can only make him better. How much at this point remains to be seen, but that's the gamble you have to make when your D is already solid and we needed scoring.

I wish we could have gotten OG, too, but I think Woj or Shams tweeted that getting OG wasn't a deal breaker for us. We shore up scoring now, get a good prospect in a position of need, and a low pick. I thought we'd get more, but we were hampered by the weirdo circumstances, too.

You were my favorite poster on our board for a few years. Miss ya but always enjoy reading about the Spurs so it's good to have another enlightening perspective to read whenever I check the Spurs board. Hope Pop can do with DeMar what he's done with so many before him. Wish you guys the best.

Nice to see you here! Really appreciate it, Morse Code, thank you. Getting players who have good character and fit in the locker room is huge in itself, but add to that developing them in our program under Pop makes me feel both relieved and hopeful going forward. I'm sure the trade will have us exchanging more ideas throughout the season. Good luck to you, too.