DeMar DeRozan is still in shock that the Toronto Raptors, a team he has been with since he broke into the league in 2009, shipped him to San Antonio without warning. The 28-year old All-Star shooting guard recently sat down for an interview with ESPN's Chris Haynes to discuss the blockbuster trade and reveal his true feelings about how things played out.
During their chat, DeRozan reiterated how the Raptors brass, including team president Masai Ujiri, assured him that he was not going to be traded.
DeRozan says (H/T Sports Illustrated):
"I felt like I wasn’t treated—with what I sacrificed for nine years—with the respect that I thought I deserved,” DeRozan said. “By just giving me the say-so of letting me know something’s going on, or it’s a chance [that I’d be traded]. That’s all I wanted. I’m not saying you don’t have to trade me. Just let me know something’s going on because I sacrificed everything. Just let me know, you know what I mean? That’s all I ask.
"At the end of the day, I gave everything I had to that team, it's B.S. to me."
"I'm still in shock. Second person I talked to that night, that I'm close friends with, was Rudy Gay," he said. "I was upset. And I called him, like, 'Man, dude's just traded me.' Rudy was like, 'What? To who?' And I was like, 'To y'all.' He started laughing."
When asked about what type of players the Spurs organization and their fans are getting, DeRozan replied, "A guy that’s been proven to prove himself time and time again, and this time around, having the biggest chip on his shoulder ever that I done had in my career."
Check out the full interview in the video embedded below.