Grade the take: DeMar DeRozan says he, Raptors would’ve won championship regardless of Kawhi Leonard trade

DeMar DeRozan has built an impressive career, one that will be remembered long after he hangs up his jersey. Spending the first nine years of his career with the Toronto Raptors, he helped lead the franchise to its first Eastern Conference Finals, 20 years after its inception. During his time in Toronto, DeRozan earned four All-Star appearances before moving on to the San Antonio Spurs for three seasons, and then the Chicago Bulls—though his time with both teams resulted in limited postseason success.

"I have no doubt in my mind the same outcome would have happened," said DeMar DeRozan on ESPN’s "First Take" when asked if the Toronto Raptors would have won a championship without trading for Kawhi Leonard.

On July 18, 2018, the Raptors traded DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Leonard. This move followed Toronto’s back-to-back playoff failures, where they were swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in consecutive seasons.

After the trade, the Raptors made significant changes, including firing head coach Dwane Casey and promoting Nick Nurse, who brought a fresh offensive approach to the team. The team also acquired veteran center Marc Gasol before the trade deadline, adding experience and floor spacing. Toronto finished second in the Eastern Conference, with Pascal Siakam earning the Most Improved Player award.

Would Raptors have won NBA Championship had they kept DeMar DeRozan instead of trading for Kawhi Leonard?

DeRozan’s claim sparks several "what-if" questions: Would the Raptors have kept Jonas Valančiūnas? Would Siakam have made his leap without Leonard, who played just 60 regular season games? Does Kyle Lowry average a career-high 8.7 assists per game?

Despite LeBron's departure from the Eastern Conference just two weeks before DeRozan was traded, the Raptors still faced formidable opponents like the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics—teams built to contend.

Had the Raptors not made the trade, they wouldn’t have acquired Danny Green, who played a pivotal role by averaging 10.3 points per game on a career-high 45.5 percent from three. Additionally, while they would have retained Valančiūnas, his skill set differed from that of Gasol. Valančiūnas was quicker, but Gasol’s ability to shoot from beyond the arc and facilitate off the ball added crucial versatility to the Raptors' offense.

Toronto would have needed to clear several hurdles to reach their first and only NBA Finals.

Grade: C+