Dec 15, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) walks off the court during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

At 3:18 AM ET on Wednesday morning, Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania reported that a big-time blockbuster NBA trade is in the works.

Charania tweeted that the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors are “engaged in serious talks on a trade centered on Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski then tweeted at 4:23 AM ET that a deal between Toronto and San Antonio was close.

And six minutes later tweeted that Leonard and DeRozan are aware that “a deal may be imminent.”

Welp, ESPN’s Chris Haynes followed that up with a tweet saying that Leonard “has no desire to play in Toronto.”

And DeRozan’s Instagram activity appeared to indicate frustration with the Raptors’ organization.

That would make sense given that the Raptors reportedly told him recently in Las Vegas that they wouldn’t trade him.

So… *goodness*, there’s a lot to unpack here. And it sure seems that neither star player would be happy with the trade!

Leonard, 27, will be a free agent after the 2018-19 season, and Wojnarowski reports that the small forward “has been clear that he plans to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency next summer.”

Leonard has been clear that he plans to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency next summer, so Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is taking a significant risk in pursuing the trade.

Assuming Leonard intends to only play in Toronto one season, is it worth it for the Raptors to go all-in to acquire him? Leonard is a superstar two-way player, and LeBron James is now out of the East. But even with Leonard, the Raptors are still behind at least the Boston Celtics and probably the Philadelphia 76ers on paper. Keep in mind they’re losing a star shooting guard in this deal, so it’s not like they’re just adding Leonard to everything else they had. They’re probably telling themselves it’s possible Leonard falls in love with playing in Toronto after a season there, but it’s quite the risk and a bad sign when it’s immediately reported he has no desire to play there.

Oh, and if the deal falls through (like, because Leonard doesn’t want to be there), it would be seem difficult for DeRozan and the Raptors to work things out at this point.

For the Spurs, being able to get DeRozan back in the trade is a pretty successful result, at least when you consider that their relationship with Leonard is seemingly broken. DeRozan, 28, averaged 23.0 points and had a 21.10 Player Efficiency Rating for Toronto in 2017-18. He’s not Kawhi Leonard, but he’s still an All-Star under team control for three more years (though at an expensive $83 million).

Expect much more news in the coming hours on this potential blockbuster trade.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.