Toronto Raptors all-time leading scorer DeMar DeRozan publicly expressed his displeasure with being shipped out of Canada in the Kawhi Leonard deal. He didnt play the good Samaritan and he didnt try to look on the bright side. He basically bashed the organization as being disloyal.
Kyle Lowry, DeRozans road dog, and basketball brother had been silent on the trade. Hes very unhappy about the Raptors breaking up the band and separating him from his best friend and a player hes had great career success with.
During a presser at the USA Basketball camp, the Raptors point guard dodged questions about the DeRozan trade, responding only by saying: “It’s been a great week for USA Basketball.” Lowry also said he has not yet spoken to Kawhi Leonard.
While DeRozan was visibly upset by the trade, Lowry is taking a more low profile approach, but you can tell he isnt happy and it doesnt seem like hes going to embrace Leonard with open arms when the season starts — at least not at first.
The bitter taste of the unexpected trade is still lingering.
Michael Grange on Twitter
Asked Kyle Lowry as many ways as possible about his reaction to DeRozan trade and his answer always was ‘I’m here to talk about USA Basketball.
With a trade of this magnitude, Leonard, and Lowry, the new leader of the Raptors would have spoken by now. At the very least, Leonard would reach out to Lowry to establish some chemistry with his new teammate. The tension in that Raptors locker room will be sharp enough to cut air if these guys dont kick it before the season starts.
Lowry has experienced major change since getting knocked out of the playoffs by LeBron James and Cleveland for the third-straight season. Dwane Casey, a winning coach he deeply respected, was fired and then his best friend was traded away for a guy who appears to be a very poor communicator especially when it comes to his teammates and coaches in Leonard.
It was the end of the NBAs No. 1 Bromance.
God’s Plan: Best Moments of Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan – The #1 NBA Bromance
Toronto’s 1-2 combo off the hardwood
This will be an interesting and potentially tumultuous year in Toronto if Raptors new dynamic duo doesnt establish some comradery pretty soon. Some have suggested that Lowry will even try and freeze Leonard out of the locker room and possibly on the court. I would assume that Lowery is above that. Hes a pro and at the end of the day, he still wants to win and with LeBron in LA now, the Raptors have a great chance of finally advancing to a conference finals with Leonard added to the mix.
Shea Serrano on Twitter
the Kyle Lowry Freeze Out is already my favorite subplot of the 2019 NBA season https://t.co/PjdHTYkwXd
Lowry will need some time to get over the sting of having his athletic life turned upside down to an extent, but right now its probably too early for Lowry to truly express how he feels about DeRozans exit. However, sometimes what you dont say speaks volumes about how you truly feel.
