Toronto, San Antonio talking Kawhi-DeRozan Swap (UPDATE: Done deal)

" I want to go to LA and become a star" - Kawhi

" **** you dude, your ass going to Canada" - Pop

 

Kawhi isn't going to sit out the season and forgo $20 million.

 

Read some tweet on Deadspin that Kawhi doesn't want to go to Toronto.

Serves him right for acting like a spoiled child while under contract.

That said, Toronto seems like a pretty awesome city, especially compared to San Antonio. Plus they have a good team in a conference where they could possibly contend for the title.

 

I repeat: Any GM that opts for vengeance is just a dumb GM, playing for a dumb franchise for hiring him in the first place.

 

Kawhi isn't Bright, watch him sit out again.

 

I repeat: Their admittedly limited options were this. Trade Kawhi for an ineffectual fake star who is not going to lead you to the championships (which is absolutely the barometer you have to go by if you aren't tanking), Trade Kawhi for ingram/hart, or let Kawhi rot for another year and torpedo his own career with fines/suspensions etc and. But they got too greedy by trying to push for more return than LA was willing to give, leaving them with only the other 2 options. So they chose the inconsequential non competitive trade which only has the value of saving face instead of trying to **** over the player that put them in that position to begin with.

 

He got to sit out last year with the injury. This year if he tried it the Spurs or whatever team he was on would take him on and use an NBA appointed doctor. If he still sat out he'd get fined brutally.

 

But couldn't he just say that the NBA doctor is wrong and that his own doctors say he's still injured?

 

You lost me here.

The Spurs won 47 games last year amidst Kawhi's absence, injuries, literally no cohesion and Pop using super glue to keep the whole thing from falling apart.

They add (to those 47 wins) a full season of DeRozan, Poltl (immediate impact), picks that can turn into two second round picks... and only subtracted Green from last years team... AND they chose the inconsequential trade in your opinion?

And tell me this... While Pop is still coaching... what makes you think that the Spurs Organization would waste the last years of Pop's career trying to rebuild a team? The Spurs made a trade that keeps them in the thick of it, regardless of what you believe. They will more than likely improve on those 47 wins. It's a win for them, thx to the headache Kawhi caused and it makes the West tougher.

 

Both teams needed this move --

Toronto is stuck in mild NBA hell, they are good enough to make the playoffs by winning a bunch of games, but they aren't good enough to reach the NBA Finals, kind of like Atlanta, Utah, or Denver. They needed get a player, like Kawhi to see how far they can go.

For the Spurs, they are getting about the best player they can, outside of Kyrie Irving/Jayson Tatum or Brandon Ingram...no one was going to offer them alot for Kawhi

 

To be fair saying that is in a way a business move. He wants to be able to sign for the most money in LA (5 year) rather than if he goes there in a year through free agency (4 year). So he figures why not say I’ll only sign in LA., no one else will dare trade for me. Having said that, it clearly did not work

Either his bluff is being called, or he’ll end up in La next year but would have lost out on a big chunk of money

 

Get some nasty up North.

 

popabitch sent kauai as far away from his native hawaii as possible. plus he gotta listen to f'n drake at every game now.

but seriously, SA just got much better than they were last season. while we got worse. do something morley

 

Kawhi lives in his own World, He is one depressed looking individual. The only person he talks to is his Uncle, Kawhi literally is brainwashed. Never have I ever see these type of antics. And he can't think or talk FOR HIMSELF.

 

Again.

 

Kawhi is being dragged right now, but how bad was it in San Antonio he was OK with losing 80 million to get out? This something more than just building a brand.

 

Except this year they not only have to go against GS and the Rockets, they have to go against the Lakers who happen to have the superstar currently considered best player in the world who also happens to have a reputation of living in DeRozan's mindspace rent free.

The Spurs should be considering the long term, not the short term. Pop without Kawhi isn't going to be winning a championship. It's going to be another wasted year regardless "trying to win" on the backs of mediocre stars like LMA and DeRozan. They should be rebuilding now and hope they develop a superstar who is ready when GS's dominance is over in the next 5 years.

 

One of the games he played was against the rockets. I went to that game. He didn't look right. I think his stats looked OK, but he wasn't moving well. I think the spurs deserve some of the blame for this for saying he was faking it. He might be might faking it now, but he was hurt earlier.

 

We did Demar so dirty. I'm glad we didn't give up OG or Pascal, but trading the only loyal star this franchise has ever had for a 1 year rental makes me hella sad.

 

I've been to Toronto many times. Although they are a big city with great ethnic food, they are a small basketball market.