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

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

EDIT: Pop presser (his first this off-season) about the trade, and team changes so far. So good to see him back. Welcome back, Pop!

https://www.nba.com/spurs/video/teams/spurs/2018/07/18/2185370/1531944139004-pop-press-conference-71818-2185370

[fritopia]

Who else goes to even out the money? Patty? Gasol?

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

EDIT: Official statement

SPURS OBTAIN DEMAR DEROZAN, JAKOB POELTL AND FIRST ROUND PICK FROM RAPTORS IN EXCHANGE FOR KAWHI LEONARD AND DANNY GREEN

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that the team has obtained guard DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first round pick in exchange for forward Kawhi Leonard and guard Danny Green.

DeRozan was named to the 2018 All-NBA Second Team after averaging 23.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 33.9 minutes in 80 games last season with Toronto. The 6-7, 220-pound guard shot .456 (645-1,413) from the field, .310 (89-287) from three-point range and .825 (461-559) from the free throw line. A four-time All-Star, DeRozan holds career averages of 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 675 games over nine NBA seasons. He earned All-NBA Third Team honors following the 2016-17 season when he ranked fifth in the league in scoring, averaging a career-best 27.3 points.

The ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, DeRozan is one of 10 players in the league to average 20-or-more points in each of the last five seasons and has been named to three straight NBA All-Star teams. A gold medalist on the 2016 USA Olympic Team, he has earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors nine times and has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month three times (April 2015, January 2016 and January 2018).

Appearing in all 82 games, Poeltl averaged 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.22 blocks in 18.6 minutes for Toronto during the 2017-18 season. Selected by the Raptors with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the 7-0, 230-pound center has appeared in 136 games in his two-year NBA career, averaging 5.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. Poeltl holds a career field goal percentage of .641 (320-499), which ranks fifth in the NBA among all players with at least 300 field goals made in the last two seasons.

Poeltl is both the first Austrian to be selected in the NBA Draft and to appear in an NBA game. He played two seasons at the University of Utah, earning All-American second team honors as a sophomore during the 2015-16 season. Poeltl was also named the 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year and won the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the top center in college basketball.

Leonard spent his first seven seasons in the NBA with the Spurs, appearing in a total of 407 games and averaging 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Green joined San Antonio in 2010 and averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 520 contests with the Silver and Black.

https://www.nba.com/spurs/spurs-obtain-demar-derozan-jakob-poeltl-and-first-round-pick-raptors-exchange-kawhi-leonard-and

[alienchild]

Read on Twitter

Hey, hi long time. DeRozan must be your nemesis.

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Hey, hi long time. DeRozan must be your nemesis.

Not at all, if this is who PATFO wanted, then so be it. I don't think you realize the staggeringly woeful impact the Leonard saga held sway over us last season... good luck.

[Baphomet]

You know what, I don't mind this trade. I just wanted Kawhi gone at this point.

DeRozan is a good player. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do for the Spurs.

[alienchild]

Read on Twitter

Hey, hi long time. DeRozan must be your nemesis.

Not at all, if this is who PATFO wanted, then so be it. I don't think you realize the staggeringly woeful impact the Leonard saga held sway over us last season... good luck.

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

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

PATFO must have really wanted to get rid of this whole fiasco asap lol

[G R E Y]

Hey, hi long time. DeRozan must be your nemesis.

Not at all, if this is who PATFO wanted, then so be it. I don't think you realize the staggeringly woeful impact the Leonard saga held sway over us last season... good luck.

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

Yes, true, but think how bad it must have been behind the scenes - and what we've heard is already bad enough - for PATFO to have made this trade, even with Leonard's on-court talent. He was never going to play for us again, so you got the best player in the deal, but also the most, I don't know how to put it, enigmatic? Let's say that.

[aguifs]

Congrats Spurs!!! I'm happy for you!!! You have a great franchise!!! Fuc* it Kawhi's puss* demeanor, he'll enjoy a one year holiday in Canada!!!!

[Jstock12]

Hey, hi long time. DeRozan must be your nemesis.

Not at all, if this is who PATFO wanted, then so be it. I don't think you realize the staggeringly woeful impact the Leonard saga held sway over us last season... good luck.

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.

[kwajo]

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.

[alienchild]

Not at all, if this is who PATFO wanted, then so be it. I don't think you realize the staggeringly woeful impact the Leonard saga held sway over us last season... good luck.

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

Yes, true, but think how bad it must have been behind the scenes - and what we've heard is already bad enough - for PATFO to have made this trade, even with Leonard's on-court talent. He was never going to play for us again, so you got the best player in the deal, but also the most, I don't know how to put it, enigmatic? Let's say that.

I honestly miss having discussions with you. Great respect for your thoughtful subtle mind. Keep well.

[G R E Y]

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

Yes, true, but think how bad it must have been behind the scenes - and what we've heard is already bad enough - for PATFO to have made this trade, even with Leonard's on-court talent. He was never going to play for us again, so you got the best player in the deal, but also the most, I don't know how to put it, enigmatic? Let's say that.

I honestly miss having discussions with you. Great respect for your thoughtful subtle mind. Keep well.

Sweet, thank you, you too. We can actually talk any time you know? And now that 'the swap' has happened, all the more so. Be well.

[zilby]

To echo kwajo’s sentiments, you’ll be very happy with this trade in the end imo. DeRozan will be maximized in Pop’s system, and Poeltl with the ability to learn from Gasol is basically a perfect situation for him to grow.

Grey can’t escape DeRozan though best of luck. I think this is a very safe bet for the Spurs to improve, and a massive risk for the Raps. Hopefully all works out.

[jptremblay]

Wow...now tell me again that Spurs aren't doing bad in the off-season.

That's a pretty bad trade, Derozan is clearly worse than Kawhi, also he's another ISO player without a reliable 3. But what really bothers me is the fact than SA couldn't even take some great prospect like OG or Siakam, and the pick from Raptors is protected 1-20

[SD2042]

Read on Twitter

It's official. KL's time as a Spur is over. As much as a part of me wish that Kawhi change his mind. The deal had to be made. The NBA atmosphere is changing all around. The future and the present for the Spurs was a focal point as they need to revitalize the roster for the better. I wasn't expecting DG to be involve in the trade to usher KL to the Raps.

As for getting back Derozan, although I respect his work ethic and that he does work hard, Derozan has left me with questions. Like his inability to hit beyond the arc and being a better clutch performer in the playoffs. He has to get better in those areas of his game. Now that he's a Spur, he will have one of the best coaches in the game to teach him better habits as he further his career.

Poethl is new on the NBA scene. So "it's get them while their young" situation for the Spurs. They need a center that fits their style of play. It appears that Poethl fits the bill. Hopefully, Poethl will fulfill the expectations the Spurs have for him as he joins this team and like Derozan, he too will learn new habits as he further his career.

To the protected pick, it's expected to join the Spurs ranks next summer as both teams will likely further their bout in to the playoff race in the upcoming season.

[Milenkovic]

So, are we going to place any defence ?

[G R E Y]

Not at all, if this is who PATFO wanted, then so be it. I don't think you realize the staggeringly woeful impact the Leonard saga held sway over us last season... good luck.

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.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

Wow...now tell me again that Spurs aren't doing bad in the off-season.

That's a pretty bad trade, Derozan is clearly worse than Kawhi, also he's another ISO player without a reliable 3. But what really bothers me is the fact than SA couldn't even take some great prospect like OG or Siakam, and the pick from Raptors is protected 1-20

Personally I think theyre lucky to get an All NBA 2nd Team player for Kawhi. Derozan was the best player on a 60 win team last year. Plus they got Poetl who was the 9th pick a few years ago and is now the Spurs best defensive big by far. They also got a 1st rounder.

Thats a very good return for a guy who played 9 games last season because of a mysterious injury and will be an UFA next summer. Especially considering that he said he would only sign with LA.