Kawhi Leonard for DeMar Derozan: Fantasy Impact
The Toronto Raptors pulled off an absolute stunner early Wednesday morning in acquiring an MVP caliber player in Kawhi Leonard along with Danny Green for beloved franchise cornerstone DeMar Derozan, young big Jakob Poeltl and a top 20 protected first round pick as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
This is a great deal for both the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors as the Spurs had to trade Kawhi after a tumultuous 2017-2018 campaign which saw Kawhi sit out almost the entirety of the season with a quad injury that the Spurs continuously challenged the validity of. The Raptors on the other hand were motivated to acquire Kawhi after realizing DeMar for all his talent, will likely never be the best player on a championship team.
This is the rare win-win where the Spurs win by not having to accept one of the low ball offers from the Lakers, Celtics or 76ers while the Raptors acquire a top three player in the league.
Fantasy Impact:
Kawhi Leonard should benefit from joining a more efficient offensive team and should challenge his career highs in all statistical categories with a Raptors team that was top three in points per game this past season (higher than the much more vaunted Houston Rockets). The Raptors love to get out and run and thrive on the fastbreak rounding out as one of the most efficient fastbreak teams in the NBA. Kawhi is going to have some fun in Nick Nurse’s offense and should once again push to be a top five fantasy asset.
Danny Green is likely looking at a large role for the Raptors as they have just jettisoned their starting shooting guard. Norman Powell and perhaps OG Anunoby will compete for minutes at the two but regardless of whether he starts or not Danny Green should push for career highs in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage. Green is someone to watch in deeper leagues.
DeMar Derozan is going to San Antonio to play for legendary coach Gregg Popovich and while his numbers will likely decline playing beside LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Dejounte Murray he should still net 18-20 ppg with a slight dip in assists. It would be a shock if DeRozan did not play with a giant chip on his shoulder as reports out of Toronto have emphatically stated he did not want to be traded after a likely psychic commitment to be a Raptor for life; this leads one to believe he will indeed develop the consistent three point range that has eluded him throughout his career and will thrust him into a higher tier of fantasy basketball superstars. Although his scoring may dip the potential addition of a more consistent three ball should lead to an increase in fantasy value for the new Spur likely vaunting him into the top 35..
Jakob Poeltl is a great get for the San Antonio Spurs as a defensive minded big with rock solid upside. He should backup the center position and will likely be the center of the future as soon as 2019 for the Spurs. Poeltl has easy 13-10 upside as a starter and could be thrust into that role if Pop decides to develop Jakob over the course of the season in an effort to keep Gasol healthy for their inevitable playoff run. Poeltl is a advanced metrics darling
Other names to consider:
Lonnie Walker actually loses a bit of fantasy value with this trade even though at first look it may appear that he is a big winner. DeRozan’s addition keeps the Spurs in playoff mode as opposed to the rebuild mode they likely would have been in had they accepted Brandon Ingram and a pick from the Lakers or Dario Saric, Robert Covington and a pick from the Sixers. In either of those scenarios it would be easy to see Walker netting 25 plus minutes a night and starting beside Murray in the backcourt. With this deal while Walker will likely remain the teams best wing defender he will likely be relegated to a backup role behind both DeRozan and Rudy Gay. Walker is still someone to target at the end of drafts and is still a top dynasty prospect.
Rudy Gay takes a value hit as the Spurs brought in a fellow small forward and someone who will likely lead them in points per game. Gay was likely ticketed for a larger role if the Spurs had accepted either Los Angeles’ or Philadelphia’s offer. Gay should still carve out a healthy role and will look to recreate the magic he had playing beside DeRozan in Toronto. Gay should remain a solid, if unspectacular option in fantasy leagues this year.
OG Anunoby’s value takes a hit as he will no longer be the Raptors starting small forward. One has to believe OG will still be given a chance to start at shooting guard due to his defensive prowess but he will likely not see much of an increase in overall minutes as he has to compete with Danny Green, Norman Powell, Delon Wright and Fred Vanvleet for minutes at the two. We are not expecting much of a sophomore jump offensively though he should make huge strides learning from the NBA’s best wing defender. OG should be on the deep league radar as someone whose role could grow over the course of the season.
