Kawhi Leonard Trade: What Did The Toronto Raptors Send The San Antonio Spurs For Their Best Player?

The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. San Antonio will receive DeMar DeRozan in exchange for dealing away their best player.

The Raptors are also sending Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick to San Antonio, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Toronto also gets Danny Green in the deal.

Toronto’s draft pick is protected 1-20, according to Wojnarowski, and it becomes two second-rounders after next year. The Raptors held onto Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, who Toronto selected with first-round picks in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The trade happens a little over a month after it was reported that Leonard no longer wanted to play in San Antonio. The Spurs received trade offers from several teams that were looking to acquire one of the NBA’s best players.

Leonard’s insistence that he wants to play in Los Angeles when he’s eligible to become a free agent in 2019 had prevented San Antonio from getting acceptable offers from teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, who were once considered contenders to acquire Leonard. The Los Angeles Lakers refused to give up their top young players because they feel they can sign Leonard or another superstar in free agency next year. The Clippers didn’t have the assets to make a trade work.

Toronto emerged as a potential landing spot for Leonard a week ago, even though the forward has maintained that he plans to leave next year as a free agent. The Raptors hope Leonard changes his mind and re-signs with Toronto the way Paul George did after he was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder and perceived as a one-year rental. ESPN has reported that DeRozan is unhappy with the deal, though he can’t become a free agent until 2021.

The trade puts the Raptors among the favorites in the East to reach the 2019 NBA Finals. Toronto was the conference’s No.1 seed with 59 wins in the 2017-2018 season, but they were swept in the second round of the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second straight year.

San Antonio made the 2018 playoffs with 47 wins, even though Leonard played just nine games because of a leg injury. The Spurs add DeRozan, who has made three straight All-Star teams and was an All-NBA Second-Team selection last season. The shooting guard averaged 23.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

Leonard won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP award and was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in the next two seasons. He was an All-NBA First-Team Selection in both 2016 and 2017.