As the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors finish a call with the league office to finalize the trade that will send star forward Kawhi Leonard and sharpshooter Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick — there is a DeRozan's storm a-brewin'.
The mid-range artist is reported to be “extremely upset” with the Raptors, claiming he was lied to after the team brass promised him he would not be traded, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.
DeRozan met with members of the front office during the Las Vegas Summer League, where he inquired about his position with the team and the speculation of a potential trade with the Spurs, promised that he would not be moved.
There is a feeling of betrayal for both sides of the coin here, as Leonard is unhappy he was traded to a team that he was not willing to commit to (basically any team that isn't the Los Angeles Lakers), and DeRozan, who is more upset with the fact that the front office looked him dead in the face and told him something they knew wasn't true.
The Spurs and Raptors had been working on the basis of this trade for nearly two weeks, longer than the duration of Summer League, making it rather impossible that they were telling any sort of truth to DeRozan.
DeRozan is under contract through the 2020-21 season with a cap hit of $27.7 million for each season, according to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks. The shooting guard has a player option for the 2020-21 season.
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