The San Antonio Spurs finally traded Kawhi Leonard, dealing Leonard along with Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick on Wednesday morning. Fans and players have chimed in with reactions to this deal, including DeRozan's former teammate, DeMarre Carroll, who feels that the city of Tornoto should erect a statue in DeRozan's honor:
No matter whatā¦When I think of Toronto Raptors Basketballā¦ I think of DeMar Derozanā¦He deserves a statueā¦š¤·š¾āāļøš¤·š¾āāļøšÆšÆšÆ
ā DeMarre Carroll (@DeMarreCarroll1) July 18, 2018
DeRozan played a huge role in Toronto's recent success. He became a beloved member of the franchise, which makes this trade a bit surprising. Leonard and his camp were looking for a way out of San Antonio, though they might not have been expecting a stint in Canada to be in the proverbial cards.
DeRozan, now 28 years of age, has three years and $83 million left on his contract, including a player option for the 2020-21 season. The former No. 9 overall pick (2009) made 80 appearances with the Raptors last season, averaging 23.0 points on 45.6 percent shooting from the field (31.2 percent from beyond the arc), 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 33.9 minutes per outing.
For the record, it sounds like DeRozan was a bit put off by this trade. After all, he was with the Raptors for nine years and was hoping to finally lead them to the NBA Finals with LeBron James out of the conference. The crafty shooting guard posted his feelings on his Instagram account shortly after hearing the news:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlXyk1cgmxc/?utm_source=ig_embed
The Raptors reportedly told DeRozan at Summer League that they wouldn't trade him, so that is also likely playing into his feelings of betrayal.
Whether DeRozan truly gets a statue in Toronto remains to be seen, though some fans in the city would argue that he is deserving of such an honor.
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