In the early hours of the morning on July 18, several NBA insiders began reporting that the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors were in "serious talks" on a trade involving All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan. Hours later, it was reported that the deal had been finalized and that "neither is expressing enthusiasm for the deal."
This was made quite clear just moments after the news broke, as DeRozan took to instagram to hint at his displeasure with the Raptors organization. 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..."
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, sources close to DeRozan told ESPN's Chris Haynes that the All-Star guard met with Toronto brass in Las Vegas during summer league and was told he would not be traded.
As part of the trade, the Spurs will also send Danny Green to Toronto. In addition to DeRozan, San Antonio receives Jakob Poeltl and a top-20 protected 2019 first-round pick.