Kawhi Leonard Traded To Toronto Raptors
SAN ANTONIO (CBSLA/AP) – Kawhi Leonard likely won't be joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
Two people familiar with the situation say San Antonio and Toronto have reached an agreement in principle on a trade that will send Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan to the Spurs.
One of the people says the Spurs also are sending Danny Green to the Raptors as part of the deal. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal has not been finalized.
ESPN, which first reported that the agreement was struck, also said that the Raptors are sending Jakob Poeltl and a protected future first-round draft pick to San Antonio.
The trade is a very risky play by Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri given that Leonard could become just an expensive one-season rental. Leonard has made clear to the Spurs several weeks ago that he wanted to be traded, and it's long been believed that he wants to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers when he can be a free agent in 2019.
The Lakers have made it clear that they want to pair the newly-signed James with at least one other superstar in order to make a run at the Golden State Warriors.
Leonard was born and raised in the Southland and attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley and Martin Luther King High School in Riverside. He played two seasons for San Diego State before being taken No. 15 overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2011 draft. However, he was immediately traded to San Antonio.
Leonard resides in San Diego County in the off-season.
DeRozan has led the Raptors in scoring in each of the last five seasons.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
