SAN ANTONIO — Much has been said and written about how tough it’s been for most Spurs fans to watch Kawhi Leonard play with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Well, imagine how former Raptors star guard DeMar DeRozan, who was traded to the Spurs by Toronto for Leonard last summer, has felt watching his ex-teammates play on pro basketball’s biggest stage without him. Talk about a bummer.
After all, DeRozan played his first nine NBA seasons with the Raptors, becoming the face of the franchise while earning All-Star honors four times. He also helped lead Toronto to the conference finals for the first time in 2016, and is the Raptors’ all-time leader in games and minutes played, points and made field goals.
It’s not hyperbole to say DeRozan, a stand-up guy with a good heart, is one of the most beloved players in Raptors history. But the NBA being the business that it is, the Raptors cut their ties with DeRozan to go after a player they thought could lead them to a championship.
To say DeRozan was blindsided and hurt by Toronto's blockbuster trade for Leonard would be an understatement.
“I felt like wasn’t treated with what I sacrificed for nine years,” DeRozan told ESPN. “The respect that I thought I deserved, giving me the say-so of letting me know something is going on. That there’s a chance (I could be traded). That’s all I wanted.”
In an interview this week with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks for her series "Take It There," DeRozan said he felt like a "sacrificial lamb" after Toronto parted ways with him. But as he's watched the Raptors draw closer to their first title, DeRozan said he's taken solace in knowing he helped lay the foundation for their historic season.
"Honestly, I don't even think I said this – I probably said this to my own inner circle," DeRozan told Rooks. "But if it wasn't for all the years and groundwork that I did before then, none of those things would've been possible.
"Yes, I fought. I sacrificed. I pushed the limits to where I had to be the sacrificial lamb. You just have to sit back and understand you're the reason so many things were even possible."
Obviously, the trade for Leonard, which also sent Spurs guard Danny Green to Toronto and brought center Jakob Poeltl to San Antonio, has paid huge dividends for the Raptors. Toronto won the Eastern Conference title for the first time and has split the first two games of the Finals with the Warriors. Game 3 is Wednesday night in Oakland, Calif.
To his credit, DeRozan has taken the high road by being supportive of the Raptors throughout their playoff run. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with DeRozan’s character.
“I’ve been speaking to him the whole way,” Raptors guard Kyle Lowry told Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated last week. “One thing about him is that he legit cares about me as his best friend. He has texted everyone he has a relationship with and let them know how happy he is for us.”
Lowry also told The Jump this about DeRozan: “He wants us to be successful. He wants us to win a ring.”
Lowry and DeRozan combined their skills to form one of the best backcourts in the NBA during their six seasons as teammates in Toronto.
DeRozan, who turns 30 on Aug. 7, averaged 21.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 34.9 minutes in 77 regular-season games in his first year with the Spurs. His rebounding and assist averages were career highs.
“Really, our best creator was DeMar DeRozan,” coach Gregg Popovich said after the season. “We had no idea it would be that way to start the year. We didn’t have a preponderance of penetrators to get people shots.”
DeRozan repeatedly drew praise from his new teammates and Popovich for his unselfish play and positive attitude while he worked to adapt to a difficult situation. While DeRozan is not the dominant player Kawhi Leonard is, he’s still pretty doggone good.
Despite the biggest turnover of the Popovich era, the Silver and Black finished 48-34 and advanced to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. They fell to No. 2 seed Denver in the first round, losing to the Nuggets in a seven-game series.
Besides trading Leonard and Green, the Spurs lost starting point guard Dejounte Murray for the season after he sustained a knee injury in the preseason, Manu Ginobili to retirement and Tony Parker to free agency.
All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge was the only starter from the 2017-18 team that took the floor when San Antonio opened its 2018-19 campaign.
“I give these guys a lot of credit for showing fortitude and being persistent, and continuing to learn the entire year,” Popovich said in his final media session of the season. “It’s going to really help them. It’s just the beginning of a new culture for a new group. We’ll have a little more corporate knowledge going into next season, and they’ll show that I think.”
After a year in Popovich’s system, DeRozan should flourish next season and compete for an All-Star slot. An excellent midrange shooter, DeRozan probably will be called on to incorporate the three-point shot into his game.
“I think that that’s something that we have to really discuss and think about because that’s what the league is all about now,” Popovich said. “As I’ve said, at the end of the game the first thing you look at is three-point shooting. It covers up a whole lot of warts.”
An old-school player, DeRozan will do whatever it takes to help his team. His former Toronto teammates would attest to that.
While the Raptors may not have ever won a title with DeRozan, a valid argument can be made that they wouldn't be in the Finals now without his value to the franchise the previous nine seasons.
