Loyalty in the NBA is something that's frequently talked about. There's a perceived double standard for players and front offices, in which front offices don't owe players anything while players owe the team. The dealing of DeMar DeRozan from the Raptors brought that conversation to a boiling point on Wednesday, with several NBA players sounding off on Masai Ujiri and Co. for dealing Toronto's most loyal player for someone with no interest in being there in Kawhi Leonard.
DeRozan will go down as one of the most beloved players in Raptors history, not only for giving the Raptors some of their best teams ever, but for staying with the team in 2016 amid rumor after rumor that he'd want to return home to Los Angeles as a free agent.
On Thursday's "Off the Bench," Danny Kanell and Raja Bell talked loyalty in sports. DeRozan called out the Raptors on Instagram after the trade, and is claiming that the team said that it wouldn't trade him. Kanell has some experience with the concept of teams doubling back on their word. He recalled a time that the New York Giants built him up as a starter before benching him the next week.
Ultimately, teams can trade who they want when they want. But how it's done ultimately reflects on the franchise. If what DeRozan is claiming is true, it doesn't reflect well on the Raptors.
Listen and subscribe to "Off The Bench with Kanell & Bell:" iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn
