The Toronto Raptors made headlines for all the wrong reasons after essentially trading shooting guard DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for small forward Kawhi Leonard. Former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, now with the Detroit Pistons, had a rather interesting take on the whole ordeal.
The Toronto Raptors made headlines for all the wrong reasons after essentially trading shooting guard DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for small forward Kawhi Leonard. Former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, now with the Detroit Pistons, had a rather interesting take on the whole ordeal.
Many have criticized the Raptors for trading their franchise player away for an uncertain future involving Leonard. Casey said during an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The Fan that while he sympathizes with DeRozan, he does not necessarily blame them for acquiring a superstar:
“For DeMar DeRozan, that's a hard pill to swallow,” Casey said. “Like him or love him, if you have any passion for the Toronto Raptors, it's almost like losing the Vince Carter—from a fan standpoint. From a pure basketball standpoint, it's hard to say you wouldn't want Kawhi Leonard on your team.”
Casey certainly has a point. The consensus believes that this is just a one-year rental for Toronto until Leonard departs after next season. However, bringing in a player of his caliber automatically makes them a much better team. Whether or not they trade him at some point next season, it always helps to have an asset like Leonard on the team. If they decide to hold on to him and take their chances, it should not be hard to at least go further than the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Perhaps Casey just simply is not surprised by any of the moves Toronto makes. After all, they did fire him despite winning Coach of the Year. The time finally came for a change after their lack of postseason success over the past several years.
About the Author
Maximo Gonzales is a writer for ClutchPoints.