Kawhi Leonard. /Ap photo
San Antonio has traded 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for four-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan in a blockbuster deal.
The trade was finalized Wednesday. The Spurs are also sending Danny Green to the Raptors, who are shipping Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick to San Antonio.
The trade ends the drawn-out saga regarding Leonard’s future in San Antonio. He appeared in only nine games with the Spurs last season, and any doubt about whether there was a disconnect between him and the team was answered earlier this offseason when he asked for a trade.
Leonard can become a free agent next summer, which means there’s no guarantee he’ll be in Toronto for long.
DeRozan, meanwhile, has been Toronto’s best scorer in each of the last five seasons and led the team to a 59-23 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs this past season.