Man, do I love a good karma story. But on the surface, there was nothing really wrong with the DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard trade when it transpired. Kawhi wanted out of San Antonio and not only got his wish but was also traded to a quality team. Meanwhile the Raptors, it's like everyone knew they had to make some type of major change sooner or later since they couldn't get past Lebron in the playoffs (even though Toronto traded DeRozan the same summer LBJ went to the Lakers). And in receiving Kawhi, they did in fact go on to win a championship. And meanwhile for DeMar, I mean it's not like the Spurs were a garbage team when he went there. And they did their thing with him in tow but apparently were not on par with the superteams of the day.
But that said, it ain't like DeMar wanted to be traded. Unlike Kyle Lowry, the other star of the Raptors at the time, DeRozan was actually drafted by Toronto and up until his point had spent his entire career there. And no one who watched him play would deny that he didn't give his all for the team, even if he isn't as good as Lebron.
Also, according to DeMar himself, Masai Ujiri, the then-President (of Basketball Operations) of the Raptors, promised him straight-up that he wasn't going to be traded, you know, right before he traded him. So it's understandable why, from DeRozan's perspective, this wasn't a conventional case of a star player being swapped. But Kawhi kinda got vengeance for him anyway by leaving the Raptors in a worst state than when he arrived and arguably even worst than he did the Spurs.
But the karma doesn't end there. For as we speak it appears that DeMar, as a member of the Bulls, may be an upcoming All-Star starter. The Bulls btw, who I believe had the best offseason of 2021 (along with the Wizards), are currently second place in the East. Meanwhile the Raptors are in eighth place, which is still pretty good all things considered. But I don't think anyone in their right mind would consider them better than the Bulls.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry isn't even on the above-hyperlinked list of potential All-Star guards and may never be an All-Star again. And Kawhi Leonard, as great as he is, like who knows when we'll next see him on ab NBA court and if he'll even be able to reclaim his past form? And it's sorta like this quote I came across, I believe from The Last Dance. And that is it's cool to like have won a championship back in the day or whatever. But the present always trumps the past.
CONCLUSION
So this is my way of congratulating DeMar DeRozan for currently being a better player than Kawhi Leonard or Kyle Lowry. Honestly speaking, when the Raptors traded him it felt like they were dickriding (Kawhi) which no professional, especially executives, are supposed to do. And maybe back then they could have said it was all worth it, given that they got a championship out of Leonard's brief stint with the squad. But when Leonard left, truth be told it also set Pascal Siakim's game back, who was like his Scottie Pippen. And I have to believe that now the Raptors are missing DeMar, considering the way Kawhi up and left them cold and how they've more or less degenerated into a garbage squad in the aftermath.
But that siad, the Bulls have been looking hella vulnerable as of late. And I still have to believe, if healthy, that the Heat (whom Lowry currently plays for) will take the East.
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