When Kawhi Leonard was shipped off to the Toronto Raptors it was supposed to be a
package deal. A deal that includes the ending era of the Raptor All-Star Demar
DeRozan.
For the last five seasons, the Raptors have made the playoffs, in four DeRozan played an important role. The full deal involved Leonard and Danny Green from the Spurs for DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl. Being with the Raptors for eight long years you would think a person like Demar DeRozan wouldn’t be too happy about the decision. And shortly after the news broke, DeRozan took to Instagram and expressed how he felt about the situation. Quotes like “do not disturb” and “soon you’ll understand” was posted on his Instagram story.
DeRozan opened up about Toronto shipping him off to San Antonio and he made it very clear he was not happy about how things went down. During an interview with ESPN’s Chris Haynes, he frustratedly vented about being kept in the dark about the trade: “I felt like I wasn’t treated–what I sacrificed for nine years–with the respect that I thought I deserved,” DeRozan told Haynes. “By just giving me the say-so of letting me know something’s going on, or there’s a chance. 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. That’s all I ask.”
Throughout his first couple games this year with the Spurs, DeRozan’s averaging 27 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. I know it is early but he’s looking pretty happy to me. After being upset with the trade, Derozan stated in a interview, “To be here is definitely a blessing” and “You definitely want to be around a culture of this magnitude’’
It will be interesting to see if he can keep this level of play up the rest of the year and return the San Antonio Spurs back to their winning ways.
