Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin believes there was one clear winner of the DeMar DeRozan-Kawhi Leonard trade between the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors — the team that took the biggest risk.
“This is almost a no-lose situation for Toronto,” said Griffin as a guest in NBA TV. “DeRozan is owed a great deal of money and in the playoffs hadn't played to the level of that contract, so in a way, if Kawhi wasn't happy [in Toronto]… they could potentially flip Kawhi again for more than they're giving up.”
Most have looked at the potential risk that involves trading for a player that so far has been unwilling to commit to the team, but the Raptors had already seen the limits of what DeMar DeRozan can do in the regular season and the playoffs, so moving on from the last three years of his contract seemed like a no-brainer.
In the worst of scenarios, Leonard walking would signify a clean path to a rebuild under a young head coach with a vision in Nick Nurse.
The Raptors could try and trade Leonard before the deadline, but it will be a move that is ultimately tough to pull off with no other teams willing to commit any assets without any assurance he would stick around after the end of the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been hellbent on believing that Leonard will come to them next summer, but the Raptors still have a few months to sell the forward on their culture before all is said and done.
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