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steamed hams wrote:Listening to the Bill Simmons podcast vs the Zach Lowe podcast. Holy **** lmao, Bill Simmons is such a flip flopper. The whole time him and his lackeys were gushing over Derozan when he's been always an avid Derozan hater. Lowe and that other guy are much more reasonable.

Northface82 wrote:Danny Green brings to the raptors 100 playoff games worth of experience under Pop's leadership. This will be BIG.

The Boy wrote:

Northface82 wrote:Danny Green brings to the raptors 100 playoff games worth of experience under Pop's leadership. This will be BIG.

Danny Green almost won FMVP in 2013 too

MavCarter wrote:

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steamed hams wrote:Listening to the Bill Simmons podcast vs the Zach Lowe podcast. Holy **** lmao, Bill Simmons is such a flip flopper. The whole time him and his lackeys were gushing over Derozan when he's been always an avid Derozan hater. Lowe and that other guy are much more reasonable.

Leonard is a necessary risk for the Raptors, a franchise stuck in limbo after experiencing another beatdown by LeBron James. Even after LeBron’s departure to the Lakers, the Raptors weren’t favorites in the East, which boasts Boston, Philadelphia, and possibly even Indiana. Few realistic moves could have helped Toronto, and Ujiri found another team in need of a shake-up in the Spurs. Leonard will either take the Raptors to the next level or accelerate their rebuild.

Leonard might not be happy, but if he returns the same player or better than what he was in 2016-17, the Raptors will immediately improve on both ends. Their defense fell apart on March 18 last season, when the Thunder ended their 11-game win streak. Since that date, they posted a subpar defensive rating of 107.2, including the playoffs. Leonard should help them sustain a higher defensive level along with Green and Anunoby. The Raptors suddenly have three switchable wings who all shoot 3s well along with solid defensive guards (Kyle Lowry, Delon Wright, and Fred VanVleet). Toronto replaced a turnstile in DeRozan with a brick wall in Leonard. Defense should be the foundation, but it’ll be more intriguing to watch how the team’s offense evolves.

The Spurs had the financial advantage with Leonard, though that didn't end up making a difference in trying to resolve their issues with the All-Star forward.

On July 16, Leonard became eligible to receive a five-year, $221 million super max extension from the Spurs. After the trade, the most Leonard can receive in an extension (six months after the trade) will be $108 million over four years (starting in 2019-20). In free agency, Leonard will be eligible to sign a five-year, $190 million contract with Toronto (barring another trade before the deadline) or a four-year, $141 million deal with a team that has cap space.

San Antonio also made it clear that pieces keeping the franchise competitive in the playoff race this season were a priority in any trade. As we'll see, few teams outside of Toronto could swing such a deal for Leonard if he's likely to be a one-year rental.

Complicating factors

• Selling more than a one-year rental for Kawhi. Difficult for the Spurs to acquire more of the Raptors' young core or better picks given their lack of leverage.

• Trading an All-Star in DeRozan with three years left on his deal vs. Leonard's expiring contract.

• What is Plan B if Leonard leaves? Toronto will stay competitive in 2019-20 and rebuild the following year. The Raptors still will have $102 million in committed team salary if Leonard walks in free agency, but only Powell ($10.8 million) and Anunoby ($3.9 million team option) are under contract for 2020-21.

Dalek wrote:

steamed hams wrote:Listening to the Bill Simmons podcast vs the Zach Lowe podcast. Holy **** lmao, Bill Simmons is such a flip flopper. The whole time him and his lackeys were gushing over Derozan when he's been always an avid Derozan hater. Lowe and that other guy are much more reasonable.

It was a garbage podcast made to appease his Boston fans. You get the sense that Bill, ardent Celtics fan, did not even want to address if Toronto got better. He probably told Kevin O'Connor and Shea Serrano to just make snarky Canada quips and focus on how San Antonio won the trade. This is why they are called the 'Saltics.'

Not so surprisingly, Kevin O'Connor wrote a balanced article on the topic a day later:

Leonard is a necessary risk for the Raptors, a franchise stuck in limbo after experiencing another beatdown by LeBron James. Even after LeBron’s departure to the Lakers, the Raptors weren’t favorites in the East, which boasts Boston, Philadelphia, and possibly even Indiana. Few realistic moves could have helped Toronto, and Ujiri found another team in need of a shake-up in the Spurs. Leonard will either take the Raptors to the next level or accelerate their rebuild.

Leonard might not be happy, but if he returns the same player or better than what he was in 2016-17, the Raptors will immediately improve on both ends. Their defense fell apart on March 18 last season, when the Thunder ended their 11-game win streak. Since that date, they posted a subpar defensive rating of 107.2, including the playoffs. Leonard should help them sustain a higher defensive level along with Green and Anunoby. The Raptors suddenly have three switchable wings who all shoot 3s well along with solid defensive guards (Kyle Lowry, Delon Wright, and Fred VanVleet). Toronto replaced a turnstile in DeRozan with a brick wall in Leonard. Defense should be the foundation, but it’ll be more intriguing to watch how the team’s offense evolves.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/7/19/17589218/kawhi-leonard-demar-derozan-spurs-raptors-trade

WTNRaps wrote:Landry Fields best player to wear #2 don't disrespect my boi like that

Wo1verine wrote:

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Leoanrd jersey looks beautiful but Leafs one? yuck lol

LoveMyRaps wrote:

Wo1verine wrote:

MavCarter wrote:

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Leoanrd jersey looks beautiful but Leafs one? yuck lol

Sens are the biggest disaster in the NHL right now.

Wo1verine wrote:

LoveMyRaps wrote:

Wo1verine wrote:Leoanrd jersey looks beautiful but Leafs one? yuck lol

Sens are the biggest disaster in the NHL right now.

Yes, i would agree it's unfortunate lol

#Melnykout

HangTime wrote:Anyone else worried that Casey has Zaza at his disposable.