To finally quell the tension between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs staff, the team decided to trade the forward away in the summer of 2018. By some stroke of fate, Danny Green (now with the Los Angeles Lakers) was included in the package sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick.

Green recently gave a behind-the-curtain story of what went down on the day he found out he was traded. In an interview with ESPN, the Lakers sharpshooter said he was ‘still waking up' when he found out that he was going to Toronto with Kawhi.

“I was still waking up. I was like, “what the hell is going on?” Okay, wow. This is a shock,” Danny Green shared.

But after getting to his senses, Green evaluated the situation carefully. He knew that the Raptors were one of the best teams for the past few years and they had a legitimate shot at the title. Off the court, Green noticed that Toronto — despite being in a different country — is close to New York, his hometown.

“I was in shock most, than anything. But seeing the team where I was going to, I just looked at the positive. I was excited. I was closer to New York, my family could see me,” The Lakers guard added.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Clippers Kawhi Leonard with speech bubble "I'm back" with Mavericks Luka Doncic smaller in background.

Tomer Azarly ·

Tyronn Lue, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Mavs

Tomer Azarly ·

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers, leonard injury, mavericks, mavericks Clippers

Jackson Stone ·

As every basketball fan knows by now, Green and Leonard led the Raptors all the way to the finals in the 2018-19 season. Not just that, but they ended the Golden State Warriors dynasty.

Getting traded away and moving to a new city is tough for any player, but Green had the right mindset and it definitely paid off. Now, he is with the Lakers eyeing for another shot at the NBA Finals.