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DeMar DeRozan is a San Antonio Spur, and while he’s not too satisfied with the way the trade went down, he’s finally spoken out about it.
In his first interview since departing from The 6, he spoke to ESPN’s Chris Haynes about what went through his mind when got the news and admits he was in shock. The second person he spoke to was Rudy Gay, who tried to comfort him, but was also happy to be able to play with his friend again.
But one of the most surprising figures that talked to DeRozan during the awkward trade, was Drake. Drake, the Global Ambassador of the Toronto Raptors, sat with him for a few hours and the two just chopped it up.
“…day it came out, I went to Drake’s house. Me and him sat and talked for a couple of hours. Not even on some hoops stuff. Just to hear the words that come from him being the person that he is in this world, especially in Toronto. What I meant to this city. It was what I needed,” DeRozan revealed to Chris Haynes.
The hardest part about the trade is what DeRozan has referred to as a lack of communication between the Raptors organization and DeRozan’s camp.
DeRozan felt misled by Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who apologized to DeRozan at a press conference last week for any gap in communication there might have been when the two spoke at Summer League prior to the trade when it was revealed that they had no plans of trading him.
On a better note, DeRozan is excited to play for Coach Popovich.
“I’ve always been a fan of Pop. There was just something about him from the way he ran his team, the way he coached, his credibility. Everything that stands out about Pop, you just have to love. So to have this opportunity to play with a legendary coach at this point in my career, I think it’s one of those blessings… First thing [Dwane Casey] said to me when the move was made is I’m going to love Pop. To hear that from my coach, on the transition to my new coach, just makes it easy.”
Both teams benefited from the trade, as Toronto tries to convince Kawhi Leonard to make Canada his permanent home in the same way Paul George did with OKC, and a new era begins in San Antonio with many of its veteran stars transitioning to less prominent roles.
