If you remember, just a handful of years ago, the Spurs pulled off a blockbuster. In the downturn of the Kawhi Leonard era in San Antonio, things were starting to get messy. The lifelong Spur was not satisfied with his time in the Alamo City and was seeking a change. Preparing to move on when his contract expired in the offseason, the Spurs had one painfully obvious move to make.
While the idea of trading the superstar broke Spurs fans' hearts, the writing was on the wall; Leonard had to go. So, that's when the deal struck. Kawhi would be headed to Toronto in a shocking trade. The trade changed everything for both franchises. After all, the Raptors won a championship. However, lost in translation, the results of this deal have been misinterpreted.
In a recent Bleacher Report article ranking the 20 most lopsided deals in recent sports history, the Kawhi Leonard deal was featured. And yes, the Spurs were the ones who supposedly got the short end of the deal. I am here to prove that wrong.
The Kawhi Leonard trade was by no means lopsided
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One thing that can never go unnoticed when talking about a trade is the context. Kawhi Leonard already had one foot out of the door. How could the Spurs expect to get a massive package? When a player is preparing to walk in the offseason, his current team has zero leverage when negotiating a deal. Look no further than [the Spurs package for De'Aaron Fox](https://airalamo.com/spurs-pull-trigger-blockbuster-multi-team-trade-deaaron-fox).
The Spurs were never going to get some gargantuan return for Leonard. It simply was not going to happen. Even with this established, what the Spurs got in return is nothing to diminish.
First, DeMar DeRozan is solely responsible for ushering in the current Spurs era. His steady nature brought a high floor to the Spurs organization and prevented them from completely bottoming out. Sure, DeMarvelous wasn't going to lead the Spurs to a championship, but he set the groundwork for the Spurs to acquire someone who was.
Similarly, Jakob Poeltl was a veteran presence in the locker room and gave the Spurs a player that they could count on. While he didn't blow the socks off anyone, he has consistently been a tremendous force at center and a player who can help his team win games.
However, what is most important is that the Spurs used both of these players to acquire more draft capital and pieces to use in constructing a championship-caliber roster. The draft pick that was included in the deal was used on Keldon Johnson, a player who has a strong presence on the current Spurs roster.
It is ridiculous that this trade is being dubbed as worse than several terrible trades. While the Spurs certainly missed on adequate value for their star, the situation played a significant role in it, and with the assets they acquired, they launched themselves into the next era. Instead of bashing this deal, true Spurs fans know that [this trade was by no means a mistake](https://airalamo.com/time-thank-kawhi-leonard-unwitting-gift-gave-spurs).