The Toronto Raptors are inching closer to the biggest gamble in franchise history by completing a trade with the San Antonio Spurs for the superstar forward Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors and Spurs are in advanced discussions on a trade that would land Leonard in Canada and send the All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan to Canada as his primary replacement, according to reports from both Yahoo! Sports and ESPN in the early hours of Wednesday.
Toronto appears committed to take this risky opportunity to acquire Leonard even though the player was limited to nine games last season by a quadriceps injury and can leave the Raptors in free agency next summer, according to a person with knowledge of Toronto’s thinking but not authorized to discuss the team’s plans publicly.