As the news broke early on that July morning — snippets of information about a transformative trade that would shake the Raptors to their very foundation — the incredulity was rampant.
DeMar DeRozan — franchise icon and arguably the best player to ever wear a Raptors uniform, certainly the one most associated with the franchise for his “I Am Toronto” and “Don’t Worry, I Got Us” pronouncements — was gone.
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He’d be replaced by Kawhi Leonard, an enigma that few knew anything about, someone who had barely played for an entire season.