Toronto Raptors Articles - Page 129

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard has spent his entire NBA career playing alongside shooting guard Danny Green, as the two were shipped together in a trade that sent DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl to San Antonio. Despite the comfort level Green has around Leonard, a rather quiet individual, he’s not fond of the “whisperer” label […]

The Toronto Raptors made a franchise-changing decision to trade star player DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, one that has catapulted them to the top of the conference, sitting just a half-game away from the first spot in the East. Yet moving DeRozan wasn’t a spur of desperation, given that president Masai Ujiri had approached the […]

With nearly half of the regular season already in the books, it’s safe to say that the Toronto Raptors struck gold with their coup of Kawhi Leonard last summer from the San Antonio Spurs. The former Finals MVP has been nothing but great for the Raptors, and head coach Nick Nurse could not be happier […]

The LA Clippers’ incessant pursuit of Kawhi Leonard had the franchise send emissaries from president Lawrence Frank on down to Toronto Raptors games, hoping they would be spotted with their team logo abreast and help persuade him to come to the West Coast and sign with them come free agency. According to Chris Mannix of […]

The Toronto Raptors locker room rarely discusses Kawhi Leonard’s sensible free agent situation, hoping to focus on the task at hand and get a firm grip of the Eastern Conference’s throne. Yet the possibility of him parting ways with the organization at the end of this season is palpable for all involved. “We need him […]

The Toronto Raptors are reportedly willing to “eagerly offer” Kawhi Leonard a five-year, max-level extension worth around $190 million on July 1, or any other deal he is interested in, simply seeing no risk in it, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Alex McKechnie, Toronto’s director of sports science, who once kept Shaquille O’Neal healthy […]

Having one of the best records in the league is a must if a team wants to make it to the NBA Finals. However, for a team like the Toronto Raptors who are in familiar territory once again, fighting for the top spot in the East, a feeling of déjà vu may be setting in. […]

San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan gave his former coach and now Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey an embrace before a game against each other. DeMar and Coach Casey reunite 🙏 (via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/0k5PdRvskS — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 7, 2019 Casey and DeRozan served as coach and player, respectively, for the Toronto Raptors for […]

The Toronto Raptors have waived guard Lorenzo Brown before the cutoff deadline of 5 p.m. ET on Monday before salaries become fully-guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Brown was a minor part of the team’s rotation and his release leaves Toronto with 13 players, forcing them to add another player in the next two weeks […]

The Toronto Raptors have made history. According to a recent report, the team has won 30 out of 42 games for this past season, making it the fastest time in franchise history to win as many games. The @Raptors have won 30 of their first 42 games this season, the fewest number of games needed […]

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry made his highly-anticipated return from a six-game absence on Sunday in a 121-105 victory against the Indiana Pacers. The 32-year-old had been out of action nursing a nagging back injury, and according to Lowry himself, he expects the pain to persist for the foreseeable future. Lowry said there were […]

Milwaukee Bucks stud Giannis Antetokounmpo is so good right now, that sometimes it just feels unfair. On Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors, the 24-year-old put this on full display when he only took four dribbles to get from one end of the court to the other to score a basket. Giannis goes end to […]

On media day back in September, Toronto Raptors star small forward Kawhi Leonard had one of the most awkward laughs we have ever heard, creating a meme for the ages. Well, the fine people who run the game operations for the Milwaukee Bucks decided to use Leonard’s laugh to their advantage on Saturday by trolling […]

Toronto Raptors All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry is out for the Saturday night Eastern Conference heavyweight showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks. Kyle Lowry is still dealing with a back injury. Lowry received pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections in his back recently, but he is still not ready to play. Fred VanVleet will start in Lowry’s place […]

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard has been compared to the great Scottie Pippen on several occasions due to the similarities of their style of play. As it turns out, Leonard’s former coach during his time with the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, actually once sought out the Chicago Bulls legend to get some help with […]

The recent injury to point guard Kyle Lowry has had the Toronto Raptors looking for help in hopes to regain the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, who are even eyeing a potential trade for Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal. However, while Beal would be quite the catch for the Raptors, the price […]

On Thursday night, Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard made his first appearance at his old stomping grounds following his summer move away from the San Antonio Spurs. He did not have the best of receptions from the home crowd, which did not impress former Spurs guard Brandon Paul one bit: I really respect & appreciate […]

DeMar DeRozan prepared for a Toronto Raptors game that would once again require him to perform at a high level. He made history by clinching his first career triple-double. Only this time, he was suiting up for the opposing team. For the first time since being traded to the San Antonio Spurs, DeRozan faced his […]

The mother of Toronto Raptors star forward Kawhi Leonard clearly wasn’t willing to back down from an argument with a San Antonio Spurs fan during Thursday night’s game between the two teams. Leonard made his return trip to AT&T Center, which naturally led to quite a contentious atmosphere given how the situation unfolded between the two […]

During Thursday evening’s contest between the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors, Spurs fans started chanting “Uncle Dennis.” For those wondering, “Uncle Dennis” is Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard’s uncle and the reference to his family member made him laugh on the bench. 😂 Kawhi Leonard laughs as the San Antonio crowd chants “UNCLE […]

Toronto Raptors Nick Nurse blamed himself for not getting his players ready against the San Antonio Spurs. Per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports: Nurse shoulders a lot of the blame for the loss. "Obviously we didn't have our guys ready to play tonight." — Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) January 4, 2019 After the first 12 minutes […]

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t agree with how the fans treated Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors in his return. Per Jabari Young of The Athletic, Popovich confessed that he “felt badly about” the boos the Leonard received: Quick @TheAthleticNBA Popovich reaction … asked about fan reaction towards Kawhi… “I felt badly […]

In one of the most anticipated games of the season, the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors faced each other for the first time since the Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade, and the Spurs drew first blood. DeMar DeRozan got his first career triple-double, scoring 21 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 11 helpers […]

Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard was booed all night on Thursday in his return to San Antonio by Spurs fans, but the two-time Defensive Player of the Year told reporters after the game that the jeers didn’t affect him at all. The Raptors lost to the Spurs by a final score of 125-107. Kawhi […]

It seems that right before the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs game started, Kawhi Leonard tried to listen in on a conversation between the whispers of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowy. Kawhi was tryna see what DeMar and Kyle Lowry were chatting about 😂 pic.twitter.com/LF8siWAwrc — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 4, 2019 It’s been […]

San Antonio Spurs All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan knows a thing or two about the Toronto Raptors defense after spending nine seasons with the franchise. Provided by BUCKETS’ Rob Perez, here’s a clip of DeRozan schooling his former teammates for a potential and-1: https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1081009449081421824 DeRozan made it look easy against a stifling Raptors defense. You […]

Toronto Raptors star small forward Kawhi Leonard is getting the same treatment LeBron James got back in 2010 when he returned to Cleveland for the first time as a member of the Miami Heat. While he was shooting a free-throw, Kawhi Leonard got serenaded with “traitor” chants from the fans in San Antonio. The Spurs’ […]

Before Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors faced off against the San Antonio Spurs, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford was seen shaking hands with Leonard’s uncle before the game. They seemed to be very professional about the whole ordeal and it only lasted a few fleeting moments. Spurs GM RC Buford just shook hands w/Dennis […]

Everyone across the NBA has been waiting for this day when the Toronto Raptors meet the San Antonio Spurs for the homecoming of former Spur Kawhi Leonard. And for DeMar DeRozan, it would be welcoming his new rivals and the former team in the Raptors. The hometown fans ended up booing Kawhi Leonard during introductions, […]

The Toronto Raptors will be without All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry on Thursday when they take on the San Antonio Spurs. Kyle Lowry is dealing with a back injury which required pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections last week. Kyle Lowry is out per Nurse. — Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) January 3, 2019 Kyle Lowry has appeared in […]

Kawhi Leonard leaving the San Antonio Spurs was like a bad breakup. The initial reports of Leonard’s dissatisfaction came as a surprise to many, which led to a drawn-out out divorce that ended up reflecting poorly on Leonard and the Spurs. Now that Leonard is making his much-anticipated return to San Antonio to take on […]

Toronto Raptors star small forward Kawhi Leonard makes his much-anticipated return to San Antonio on Thursday, and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year has a message for Spurs fans. Kawhi Leonard spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the Spurs. In his time with San Antonio, Leonard became one of the […]

The Toronto Raptors took a huge gamble when they traded for Kawhi Leonard, who had a falling out with the San Antonio Spurs last year, but they’re confident in their ability to retain the superstar forward. The Raptors gave a lot in the deal for Leonard, sending superstar DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl along with […]

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard is set to return to San Antonio to battle the Spurs for the first time since he was traded from the Spurs to the Raptors over the summer, with the two teams getting ready to clash on Thursday night. You probably can’t expect a very warm welcome for Leonard from […]

Star forward Kawhi Leonard’s tenure as a member of the San Antonio Spurs came to an end in a less-than-desired way, traded to the Toronto Raptors after Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and the front office had exhausted every last option to try and mend a broken relationship with the organization — something unprecedented when […]

The Toronto Raptors are expected to move heaven and earth to keep All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard from taking his talents elsewhere this summer, when the eight-year veteran is expected to enter free agency for the first time in his career. Toronto gave up valuable assets to acquire Leonard, knowing that he could eventually end up […]

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard says he isn’t thinking about free agency. Instead, the two-time All-Star is remaining focused on the task at hand. Leonard, now 27-years-old, can use the player option in his contract to enter the free agency foray after this season. Whether or not he’ll choose to take that path remains to […]

San Antonio Spurs superstar DeMar DeRozan is about to face his former team on Thursday at the AT&T Center. DeRozan publicly revealed his dismay over the trade that sent him to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. When asked if he has talked to Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri since the trade happened, DeRozan […]

DeMar DeRozan will be facing the Toronto Raptors for the first time since his former team dealt him to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs and Raptors will collide at the AT&T Center on Thursday night. DeRozan made it no secret that he was angry when the Raptors decided to trade him for Kawhi Leonard. […]