Getty Kawhi Leonard is headed to Toronto.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Kawhi Leonard is headed to the Toronto Raptors in a trade that will shakeup their roster. The full details of the Spurs-Raptors trade have not been announced, other than DeMar DeRozan is headed to the Spurs.
Here’s a look at the Raptors roster and projected starting lineup after the Leonard trade. We will continue to update this once more players have been added to the trade.
Toronto Raptors Roster & Projected Starting Lineup With Kawhi Leonard for 2018-19
C- Jonas Valanciunas, Serge Ibaka
PF- OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam
SF- Kawhi Leonard, C.J. Miles, Norman Powell, Malachi Richardson
SG- Delon Wright, Danny Green
PG- Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Lorenzo Brown
Wojnarwoski reported DeRozan had been told he would not be traded when he met with the Raptors front office during Summer League.
Toronto and San Antonio have been talking about the trade for two weeks, and several incarnations of packages have been discussed, league sources said.
Sources close to DeRozan told ESPN’s Chris Haynes that DeRozan met with Toronto brass in Las Vegas during summer league and was told he would not be traded.
In a story posted on his Instagram page on Wednesday morning, DeRozan wrote, “Be told one thing & the outcome another. Can’t trust em. Ain’t no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing… Soon you’ll understand… Don’t disturb…”
With the addition of Leonard, the Raptors have some decisions to make regarding their starting lineup. We have Leonard staying at his natural three position with O.G. Anunoby sliding over to play the four. If the Raptors are intent on keeping Serge Ibaka in the lineup, they could experiment with Leonard playing the two.
It will be interesting to see who else the Raptors traded away, and how much of their depth will be depleted. Fred VanVleet can play both guard positions, and Danny Green is also going to be included in the deal.
The Raptors decided to take a risk on trading for Leonard, in a deal that could end up being a one-year rental for the All-Star forward. There are also questions about Leonard’s health as he missed the majority of last season with a hip injury.
Toronto has had their own set of problems. The team built around DeRozan and Lowry has failed to have the kind of post-season success the front office was hoping to have. This marks the second major move of the off-season for the Raptors as Toronto fired Coach of the Year Dwane Casey.
The Raptors are hoping to follow the Thunder’s blueprint. Like Leonard, Paul George listed the Los Angeles Lakers as his number one destination, but the Thunder ended up trading for him anyway. Oklahoma City was able to convince George to stay with the Thunder instead of joining the Lakers like he had originally planned. Toronto is looking to the same thing with Leonard next summer.
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