The Kawhi Leonard issue has finally been resolved in San Antonio. The Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a 2019 protected first-round pick.
Despite having Kawhi Leonard for only nine games last season, the Spurs did manage to win 47 games in the always tough Western Conference. In DeRozan, the Spurs get a four-time All-Star, who averaged 20 points or more per game for the past five years, including a career-best 27.3 PPG in the 2016-17 season. So, the Spurs are getting a terrific player,
According to TNT’s NBA analyst Kenny Smith, the Spurs can still be contenders in the Western Conference with the acquisition of DeRozan:
“He(DeRozan) could do what Kawhi has been doing for the Spurs,” Smith told TMZ Sports. “They’ll still be a contending team in the West. He and LaMarcus Aldridge, they got a good team still. Then, they have a great coach, so the Spurs won’t miss too much of a beat.”
At this point, the Spurs are probably not on the level of the Warriors or Rockets, but they still can make some noise in the Western Conference, especially if Dejounte Murray takes the next step in his development. Plus, Aldridge is an All-Star and one of the better power forwards in the game.
With all that said, life after Kawhi may not be that bad in San Antonio.