cavs4872 wrote:Bloody murder for the Raps; good for them - they get Green
and the pick is protected (not a huge deal, but just another plus for them)?!
Might end up benefiting both teams.
... And I just read the part he doesn't want to play in Toronto; that about balances it.
Andrew wrote:On the other hand, it will clear plenty of cap space and allow them to start over if Kawhi walks. They seemed to have peaked as a team that's really good to great in the regular season, but mediocre come Playoff time. Kind of reminds me of some of the Hawks teams from the 90s, if I had to make an historical comparison.
Or even the 2015 Hawks.
I don't agree with this at all. Not only did the Spurs get a primed Demar Derozan, but THEY (You said the Raptors did) received a protected first round pick (1-20), and an underrated Jakob Poeltl. He is 22, and hasn't hit his ceiling. He played inspiring basketball last season in limited minutes, and plays a position that the Spurs sorely needed support at (Center). Pau's aging body was playing extended minutes last season, and when he was out they were playing Bertans (Poor defender/rim protector/rebounder). This move possibly allows Pau to play off the bench, or atleast get extended rest.
The move allows the Spurs to stay competitive now, while also building for the future. I think this was the best deal they could have taken, considering the circumstances. Derozan may be unhappy that Toronto traded him (rightfully so), but he will report to the Spurs and will fit in nicely in that system. As far as the Raptors go, so many questions exist. One, will Leonard play his heart out for a team he doesn't want to play for? Will he be 100% healthy? Will they have enough success to sway him to sign longer term? Danny Green is on the back-end of his prime, but will help the Raptors (He is 31).
More questions exist for the Raptors than the Spurs in this one, and I think both teams potentially won this deal. We will have to reflect on it again after this season, but I like the deal for both teams at the moment (Assuming Leonard reports to the Raptors and plays hard/is healthy)