Raptors Remake: DeRozan dealt to Spurs for Leonard in blockbuster NBA trade
TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan was unlike many of the franchise players who came before him with the Toronto Raptors. For years, Canada’s lone NBA franchise was jilted by stars who eventually either wanted out or declined to put down long-term roots.
Not DeRozan, who once famously said “I am Toronto.”
The city loved him for it, and for the way he helped the Raptors become a perennial contender in the Eastern Conference. But despite nine impressive seasons in Toronto, DeRozan could never get the team over the hump.
And like head coach Dwane Casey before him, he’s now on his way out of town.