Raptors in Driver's Seat to trade for Kawhi Leonard

[Mich3006]

Say what you want about Demar, but he's our franchise guy and produces every year.

We aren't trading him for 1 year of kawhi. If they extend kawhi then you do it but that isn't happening.

If Masai is trading Demar, he's gonna want a nice package for him. The one year of kawhi doesnt make sense from my perspective.

The spurs want young players and picks. the kicker with the kawhi trade is that he only has 1 year ... if he had 2 years left over I think the Lakers / Philly woulda gotten a deal done already.

Supposedly Lakers are offering Josh hart, Lual deng, and a 1st. Philly is offering Saric, Convington and a 1st. Those deals blow.

Raps dont have to sell the farm here, Masai knows this.

I'd hold firm on OG, Poeltl, 1st and Serge (to make contracts work) ... you cant give up more than that.

Even if DeRozan produces every year, getting rid off his contract is always a plus, even if Kawhi won´t stay.

DeRozan, OG and a 1st or Siakam should seal it, doubt the Spurs would take your proposed package (with LMA and Gasol still on the roster).

I don't think Masai is looking at Demar just to get rid of his contract. There's production there. He's had his best season last season. He keeps improving. The playoff results havent been there but maybe the reason is Demar isn't a number 1 guy. He is more than likely a #2 guy on a championship team im talking here.

Adding Kawhi would take some of that pressure off him in the playoffs and give him easier matchups. That's what he needs.

We should not be talking like Demar is some player like Luol Deng and we should look to dump his contract. There's no way Masai is thinking that way of our best player.

I think you either make the Kawhi deal only if you keep both Lowry and Demar and one of OG/Siakam, Poeltl and Serge. Compared to the other deals, you already have the best deal on the table.

If the Raptors want to pair Kawhi with both Lowry and DeRozan, I fear they´ll gut their roster too much. DeRozan has more value than Poeltl, Wright, OG and Siakam combined, but losing most of them hurts way more than losing DD.

Look at the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.

[WuTang_OG]

Even if DeRozan produces every year, getting rid off his contract is always a plus, even if Kawhi won´t stay.

DeRozan, OG and a 1st or Siakam should seal it, doubt the Spurs would take your proposed package (with LMA and Gasol still on the roster).

I don't think Masai is looking at Demar just to get rid of his contract. There's production there. He's had his best season last season. He keeps improving. The playoff results havent been there but maybe the reason is Demar isn't a number 1 guy. He is more than likely a #2 guy on a championship team im talking here.

Adding Kawhi would take some of that pressure off him in the playoffs and give him easier matchups. That's what he needs.

We should not be talking like Demar is some player like Luol Deng and we should look to dump his contract. There's no way Masai is thinking that way of our best player.

I think you either make the Kawhi deal only if you keep both Lowry and Demar and one of OG/Siakam, Poeltl and Serge. Compared to the other deals, you already have the best deal on the table.

If the Raptors want to pair Kawhi with both Lowry and DeRozan, I fear they´ll gut their roster too much. DeRozan has more value than Poeltl, Wright, OG and Siakam combined, but losing most of them hurts way more than losing DD.

Look at the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.

That's why you cap the deal at one of OG/Siakam (raptors best prospects), Poeltl (another prospect with upside) and Serge to make it work.

If you cant make the deal happen then walk away. Compared to what Philly and LA are offering, that's a way better deal.

[24istheLAW]

People are focusing on DeRozan, but a big part of what makes Toronto an appealing trade partner is that they can offer a bunch of useful players still ahead of their prime. Vet, OG, plus 2/3 of Siakam/Wright/Poeltl. No big projects there, more like calculated risks. The Spurs are trying to win games, so this has value to them that it might not to the Suns or Magic.

[DROB27]

I don't think Masai is looking at Demar just to get rid of his contract. There's production there. He's had his best season last season. He keeps improving. The playoff results havent been there but maybe the reason is Demar isn't a number 1 guy. He is more than likely a #2 guy on a championship team im talking here.

Adding Kawhi would take some of that pressure off him in the playoffs and give him easier matchups. That's what he needs.

We should not be talking like Demar is some player like Luol Deng and we should look to dump his contract. There's no way Masai is thinking that way of our best player.

I think you either make the Kawhi deal only if you keep both Lowry and Demar and one of OG/Siakam, Poeltl and Serge. Compared to the other deals, you already have the best deal on the table.

If the Raptors want to pair Kawhi with both Lowry and DeRozan, I fear they´ll gut their roster too much. DeRozan has more value than Poeltl, Wright, OG and Siakam combined, but losing most of them hurts way more than losing DD.

Look at the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.

That's why you cap the deal at one of OG/Siakam (raptors best prospects), Poeltl (another prospect with upside) and Serge to make it work.

If you cant make the deal happen then walk away. Compared to what Philly and LA are offering, that's a way better deal.

No it’s not . serge is terrible, and on a horrible contract

[Michael Jordan]

Unless we hear Kawhi or his camp say they're okay with being rented out I don't see this going through.

They could easily threaten Toronto with sitting him out using their camps doctors.

[DROB27]

Unless we hear Kawhi or his camp say they're okay with being rented out I don't see this going through.

They could easily threaten Toronto with sitting him out using their camps doctors.

They won’t work

[WuTang_OG]

If the Raptors want to pair Kawhi with both Lowry and DeRozan, I fear they´ll gut their roster too much. DeRozan has more value than Poeltl, Wright, OG and Siakam combined, but losing most of them hurts way more than losing DD.

Look at the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.

That's why you cap the deal at one of OG/Siakam (raptors best prospects), Poeltl (another prospect with upside) and Serge to make it work.

If you cant make the deal happen then walk away. Compared to what Philly and LA are offering, that's a way better deal.

No it’s not . serge is terrible, and on a horrible contract

LA: Deng, Hart, 1st
Philly: Saric, Convington, 1st

Toronto: OG, Poeltl, Serge, 1st

Not being biased but our deal is a lot better than both of those. Pop would hit a home run attaining OG and Poeltl.

[Phreak50]

Unless we hear Kawhi or his camp say they're okay with being rented out I don't see this going through.

They could easily threaten Toronto with sitting him out using their camps doctors.

Sitting out two years straight will almost definitely result in legal action. Whether that is from the Spurs or the ‘rental’ team he lands on.

No one is having any of that nonsense again.

[Mich3006]

That's why you cap the deal at one of OG/Siakam (raptors best prospects), Poeltl (another prospect with upside) and Serge to make it work.

If you cant make the deal happen then walk away. Compared to what Philly and LA are offering, that's a way better deal.

No it’s not . serge is terrible, and on a horrible contract

LA: Deng, Hart, 1st
Philly: Saric, Convington, 1st

Toronto: OG, Poeltl, Serge, 1st

Not being biased but our deal is a lot better than both of those. Pop would hit a home run attaining OG and Poeltl.

I´d take the Philly package in a heartbeat tbh. Ibaka is expensive and didn´t do anything of value.

The Raptors package will be better if Toronto takes on Patty Mills as well though (and send out Powell for example).

[mademan]

Unless we hear Kawhi or his camp say they're okay with being rented out I don't see this going through.

They could easily threaten Toronto with sitting him out using their camps doctors.

Sitting out two years straight will almost definitely result in legal action. Whether that is from the Spurs or the ‘rental’ team he lands on.

No one is having any of that nonsense again.

Ya, try proving someones not injured. No team is gonna want to fight that battle

[TheDavinciCHODE]

Say what you want about Demar, but he's our franchise guy and produces every year.

We aren't trading him for 1 year of kawhi. If they extend kawhi then you do it but that isn't happening.

If Masai is trading Demar, he's gonna want a nice package for him. The one year of kawhi doesnt make sense from my perspective.

The spurs want young players and picks. the kicker with the kawhi trade is that he only has 1 year ... if he had 2 years left over I think the Lakers / Philly woulda gotten a deal done already.

Supposedly Lakers are offering Josh hart, Lual deng, and a 1st. Philly is offering Saric, Convington and a 1st. Those deals blow.

Raps dont have to sell the farm here, Masai knows this.

I'd hold firm on OG, Poeltl, 1st and Serge (to make contracts work) ... you cant give up more than that.

Even if DeRozan produces every year, getting rid off his contract is always a plus, even if Kawhi won´t stay.

DeRozan, OG and a 1st or Siakam should seal it, doubt the Spurs would take your proposed package (with LMA and Gasol still on the roster).

I don't necessarily agree that getting off of him is a plus no matter what. Not every team has championship or bust dreams. The Raptors, despite their playoff woes against LBJ, have a good thing going in Toronto and Toronto likes to see a winning product. I'm sure the city would stick behind whoever was playing and would gladly get behind a rebuild, but the fans genuinely like Demar and the gang.

50 + wins is still a sucessful season, and especially now that LBJ is gone the Raps have new hopes to retool (plus Casey is gone, a scapegoat for their playoff failures).

So the Raps still have incentive to go forward this season and hope for development from their younger players to help them take another step forward, win 55 games, get to the 2nd round, etc.

And, even if Demar would a negative value deal, they shouldn't have to pay OG AND a 1st to get off him is insane. Assuming Kawai is a one-year rental, you are paying OG and a 1st to salary dump an all-nba calibre player. Doesn't make sense.

[TheDavinciCHODE]

I don't think Masai is looking at Demar just to get rid of his contract. There's production there. He's had his best season last season. He keeps improving. The playoff results havent been there but maybe the reason is Demar isn't a number 1 guy. He is more than likely a #2 guy on a championship team im talking here.

Adding Kawhi would take some of that pressure off him in the playoffs and give him easier matchups. That's what he needs.

We should not be talking like Demar is some player like Luol Deng and we should look to dump his contract. There's no way Masai is thinking that way of our best player.

I think you either make the Kawhi deal only if you keep both Lowry and Demar and one of OG/Siakam, Poeltl and Serge. Compared to the other deals, you already have the best deal on the table.

If the Raptors want to pair Kawhi with both Lowry and DeRozan, I fear they´ll gut their roster too much. DeRozan has more value than Poeltl, Wright, OG and Siakam combined, but losing most of them hurts way more than losing DD.

Look at the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.

That's why you cap the deal at one of OG/Siakam (raptors best prospects), Poeltl (another prospect with upside) and Serge to make it work.

If you cant make the deal happen then walk away. Compared to what Philly and LA are offering, that's a way better deal.

The difference between this and Melo is that:

A) Kawai is a legit MVP candidate who is elite on both sides of the ball when healthy
B) you're pairing him with two other stars not one who is always injured

The trade definitely wasn't my favorite, and I wish we had kept Chandler, but the bigger issues were health and Amare's contract.

Amare was never healthy and his contract took all of the cap space. And even with that, the Knicks were still able to fill out the roster decently with Chandler, JR, Kidd, Shump via the draft.

So yeah, this deal would be a far cry from the Melo fiasco in my opinion. Also, had Amare stayed healthy, history may be different.

[Benedict_Boozer]

^Right that's the thing, how do you prove he's not injured? If a guy says "I'm in pain", you can't just say well my doctors said he is fine. Doctors are wrong all the time.

And the team trading for him then inherits this big legal headache and fight with Kawhi's camp and his doctors, etc. trying to force him to play. Doesn't sound very appealing.

[John Murdoch]

Leonard and Mills for Derozan and OG?

Raptors
Val/Poetl/Ibaka
Ibaka/Siakam
Leonard/Miles
Powell/Mills/Wright
Lowry/VanVleet/Mills

Spurs
Gasol/Aldridge/Cunningham
Aldridge/Gay/Bertans
OG/Bellineli/Gay/Paul
Derozan/Green/Walker
Murray/Manu/White

Spurs get back an All-Star and get out from Mills' deal while also getting an exciting young player made from the Spurs cloth. Raptors get Leonard and hope they can keep him, if not they get out of Derozans deal and have the opportunity to start over a little early.

Pretty good reisk/reward deal tho for the raps tbh. I would need a garuntee that he wont try and sit out tho and just play out the year like Paul George did. That bench would be deep enough to make it to the finals imo

[John Murdoch]

If Masai is smart, you wait out the Spurs till the deadline so they risk losing him for nothing. Then you offer just Demar, no picks, or OG/Siakam. If they choose to lose Kawhi for nothing, that would cripple their future for a couple years. Nothing to lose in being patient. Kind of ridiculous people think Raptors should offer DD with OG/Siakam and possible picks for a 1 year rental LMFAO

why?

uhhh because the roster outside of Kawhi/Murray is a retirement home? Spurs wouldnt be in contention for another 5 years or so if he outright left for nothing dont kid urself

[DROB27]

If Masai is smart, you wait out the Spurs till the deadline so they risk losing him for nothing. Then you offer just Demar, no picks, or OG/Siakam. If they choose to lose Kawhi for nothing, that would cripple their future for a couple years. Nothing to lose in being patient. Kind of ridiculous people think Raptors should offer DD with OG/Siakam and possible picks for a 1 year rental LMFAO

why?

uhhh because the roster outside of Kawhi/Murray is a retirement home? Spurs wouldnt be in contention for another 5 years or so if he outright left for nothing dont kid urself

No we got young players like Bertans , Walker and white to.

[Captain Hooker]

Whats his game style?

His game style is more of an iso ball. Spurs system involves more ball movement which doesn't fit DeRozan's iso ball.

Naw that ball movement style hasn’t existed since Kawhi took over as number 1 option .

He plays iso ball as well

I dont know what Spurs you were watching but ball movement is clearly evident in their games and it is a thing of beauty.

Kawhi's shots is within the system. He doesnt disrupt the offense by his game. DeRozan seems like a bit of ball stopper.

[DROB27]

His game style is more of an iso ball. Spurs system involves more ball movement which doesn't fit DeRozan's iso ball.

Naw that ball movement style hasn’t existed since Kawhi took over as number 1 option .

He plays iso ball as well

I dont know what Spurs you were watching but ball movement is clearly evident in their games and it is a thing of beauty.

Kawhi's shots is within the system. He doesnt disrupt the offense by his game. DeRozan seems like a bit of ball stopper.

Yeah maybe when LMA and Kawhi aren’t on the floor

The bench unit usually does the ball movement.

[Topher]

Derozan is not being traded for Kawhi.

[DROB27]

Derozan is not being traded for Kawhi.

Then no deal will happen.