Less than a week after his trade from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs, DeMar DeRozan sat down for an exclusive interview with Chris Haynes.

DeRozan was asked what the past week has been like following the trade.

"Man, it was a blur," said DeRozan. "It was a dream ... still kind of feel like a dream right now. But it's been tough having this roller coaster -- up and down -- just trying to get acclimated to changing teams."

DeRozan claimed Masai Ujiri told him he wouldn't be traded just a few days before the trade went through. Ujiri said there was a gap in communication.

"Um, no, because all summer through the talks we had -- through the talks he had with my agent -- you know, it seemed like I was in that discussion of moving forward with the team. My whole approach every summer was preparing, going out there and supporting the young guys at summer league, figuring out ways I can be better, make my team better, and that was the gist of the conversations we had with moving forward. Having the opportunity to do something special all over again, you know? So that was my mindset and everybody around me's mindset as well."

DeRozan never envisioned leaving Toronto.

"I was so mentally in this being my home. I took pride in the community. I took pride in everything when it came to Canada. Not even just Toronto, everything that came with Canada, wearing that Toronto Raptors jersey. That's why it was so tough and emotional for me when I first heard it because everybody knows what type of guy I am. It showed when I went out there and played. Whether it was for the good or for the bad, I took it like a man."

DeRozan was asked asked what the Spurs are getting in him.

"A guy that's been proven to prove himself time and time again -- this time around having the biggest chip on his shoulder ever."

Kawhi Leonard will skip the Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas next week.

Before Leonard's trade to the Toronto Raptors, he was expected to attend. Leonard possibly was going to use the event as a chance to showcase the status of his recovery.

Team USA is coached by Gregg Popovich.

Kawhi Leonard has passed his physical with the Toronto Raptors, which makes the trade with the San Antonio Spurs now official.

The Raptors agreed to acquire Leonard from the Spurs last week.

The San Antonio Spurs had a team meeting in March in which the status of Kawhi Leonard was discussed.

"Tony (Parker) quarterbacked the whole thing," said Michael C. Wright on The Lowe Post. "It was just more them trying to get a feel for when Kawhi might get back. 'Hey, we're about to make a playoff run. Do you have any idea of when you're going to be back?'

"Put yourself in Kawhi's shoes and you have your team coming at you like that, you're going to be a little taken aback by that, I believe. And in that meeting, Kawhi basically stood his ground.

"He was like, 'I'll be back when I'm ready to come back.'

"I had heard, for the aggregators who get ahold of this, I heard that Kawhi had said something about like 'I'll do anything for all you guys in this room, but not this organization.' That what I heard he had said. But he stood his ground.

"I also heard that during the meeting a lot of those guys were supportive."

The Boston Celtics appeared to be on the periphery of the Kawhi Leonard trade talks as they didn't have the type of package the San Antonio Spurs were looking for. 

While Boston wasn't prepared to offer any of their top-5 players, they were willing to part with some of their future draft picks from other teams.

"Rebuilding was just not going to be an option there," said Zach Lowe on his podcast. "They want to remain 'relevant', I think is the word that has been used. They want to remain in the playoff race. They just weren't going to consider offers that were heavy on draft picks and young players.

"And by the way, as all the reporting from this sort of trickled in, I think the Celtics offered most of their best draft picks. I don't think the Celtics just offered (and said) 'You could have a bunch of our picks.' I think some of the picks they're owed, at least two of the picks, if not all of them that they own from other teams, including the Kings, Grizzlies and Clippers. I think those were all in the deal.

"And the Spurs were like 'Nah, we don't want that.'"

The Spurs traded Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for a package centered on DeMar DeRozan.

Danny Green played most of the 17-18 season with a torn groin that went undiagnosed by the San Antonio Spurs' doctors.

Green knew he strained his groin in an early December game against the Boston Celtics, but the tear was discovered during his exit physical at the end of the season.

The Spurs traded Green in the Kawhi Leonard trade last week.

"I strained my groin first half, probably first or second quarter, trying to chase down and block a dunk," said Green. "It was stupid, because I was nowhere near close to getting the block. But that’s the competitive nature in me. And I wanted to go back in.

"But get an MRI next day. It’s a slight strain, take a couple weeks off. So, we do the rehab, do everything we’re supposed to do. And people – with a groin strain, it’s hard to tell between a groin and a sports hernia sometimes.

"So, after some time, it healed. Started to try to play again. It’s kind of certain days, I’d have bad days. Some days would be good. And I’d feel it.

"And they were like, “Maybe we should get it checked.” My agent: “Maybe you should get a second opinion.”

"I didn’t want to, because I have full faith and belief in the Spurs’ staff. They’ve always been great to me. They’ve always done right by me. They’ve always done a hell of a job.

"So, throughout the season, we’ve monitored it. But we never went back to check on it again, because so many other injuries have happened.

"I should have – I could have gotten a second opinion. So, I see where Kawhi is coming from when he’s got his second opinion. Because a lot of times, you’ll get information from outside sources.

"And not saying that the Spurs staff is not up to par. It’s just that everybody is a specialist in every area. So, it’s not like they’re a special in a groin area where a sports hernia may be. So, to go to a guy who may be in Philly to get a second opinion shouldn’t hurt.

"At the end of the season, regardless of that being said, at the end of the season, I come to find out is it could have happened that day or that playoff series against Golden State. But we don’t know. So, at the end of the season, I had to get another MRI, because you get your physicals, the exit physicals. The strain was still there, a little tear.

"Since then, I’ve been rehabbing it, basically. And now they’re passing the information on Toronto.

"But we don’t know how long I’ve been playing with this strain or how long this tear has happened, because we haven’t really circled back or focused on it that much because of some of the injury were happening throughout, whether it was the Achilles, dislocated finger. I had stitches in my face. Whatever it may be.

"Second opinion could have helped, but they did a great job. They did everything they could.

"But I think it would have been nice to see a specialist, just to see if there’s another angle, another view. Just because Kawhi and got a second opinion, you can’t knock him for that. Everybody should get a second opinion just to get another perspective, another angle, another view.

"Regardless of that, I’m working on it, trying to get healthy, because you can tell my play deteriorated toward the end of the season. It wasn’t the same. But, competitive nature, I didn’t want to leave the floor."

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post (@TimBontemps) break down a surprisingly eventful third week of the NBA offseason.

They discuss the big Toronto/San Antonio trade, how going to Toronto affect’s Kawhi Leonard’s decision making in 2019, the OKC/Atlanta/Philadelphia deal, react to the Lakers signing Michael Beasley and much more.

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Masai Ujiri has apologized to DeMar DeRozan for what he describes as a "miscommunication" about the All-Star's status with the Toronto Raptors.

Sources close to DeRozan had told ESPN's Chris Haynes that DeRozan met with Toronto officials in Las Vegas during summer league and believed that he would not be traded.

"I had a conversation with DeMar at summer league, and I really want to leave it at that," Ujiri said Friday. "We spoke ... I think maybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going forward from him. So, not necessarily talking about a trade but what I expect from him going forward, and I think that's where the gap was."

The Raptors traded DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard.

Ujiri added Friday: "In my job, I always have to assume we're going forward with the team that I have. If there was a miscommunication there, I do apologize to DeMar and his family and his representation. It's not what I meant."

Ujiri said the opportunity to acquire Leonard was too special to pass up.

"When you have a chance to get a top-five player, which doesn't come very often, I think you have to jump on it," he said.

While Kawhi Leonard has been silent with the media, Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star said on the Back To Back Podcast on Wednesday that he has been in conversations with other impending 2019 free agents about possibly playing together.

"One thing I was told last night is that Kawhi Leonard had already been planning out his free agency for next year and he had already been in contact with other star players in the league and saying 'Hey, where might you want to play with me? What are we looking at?'

"It wasn't just L.A. he was talking about," added Arthur. "Brooklyn was maybe somewhere. They're going to have a ton of cap space. That might have been a possibility.

"So Kawhi has already been thinking ahead to pairing up and playing at a highest level."

The 2019 free agent class includes Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.

Gregg Popovich made it clear that he and Kawhi Leonard are parting on good terms following the trade with the Toronto Raptors.

"That's all ridiculous," Popovich said of reports that Leonard was a "bad teammate" late season.

"Kawhi was a great teammate all the way through," Popovich said. "He did his work, was no problem for anybody. But talking heads out there have to have stories, and I get it...But all those stories that denigrated him in that regard were unfortunate and inaccurate."

Popovich said he is confident that the blockbuster deal "will be a good situation for everybody involved."

"Kawhi obviously worked very hard to become the player he is and our staff worked very hard to help him get there and we wish him all the best as he moves on to Toronto. I think he will be great," Popovich said. "Danny Green will be missed. He's been here quite a while and was a big part of what we do on and off the court. He was a great community guy, and we are going to miss him very much."

Popovich said he and Leonard spoke often this summer "about a lot of different things, on and off the court" but that no agreement could be reached that would keep him in San Antonio.

"Attempts were made to see what would be best, and in the end this trade appeared and we felt this was the way to go," Popovich said.