DeMar DeRozan was part of the Kawhi Leonard trade this summer that saw the former San Antonio Spurs star sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for the shooting guard.

DeRozan was traded along with Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick to the Spurs in exchange for Leonard and Danny Green. The trade left a bitter taste in DeMar's mouth, as the Raptors disrespected his loyalty.

However, if it’s loyalty, honesty, and compassion that the 29-year-old is looking for, Rudy Gay believes he's in the right place in San Antonio.

Speaking on the Hartford Courant's UConn Insider podcast, Gay explained how the Spurs will always do right by the player when it comes to trades, stating how this separates the team from others around the league.

He said, via The Score: "The best part about San Antonio, they do right by you. They do right by their players, do right by their staff. That doesn’t happen much in the NBA, to be honest with you."

Ever since the trade, DeRozan has made it clear he no longer has any kind of relationship with Raptors president Masai Ujiri because of a gap of miscommunication between the two parties.

Honest Spurs

Gay has confidence that this kind of incident won't happen to the shooting guard in San Antonio due to how honest the Spurs' front office is.

"On one side, there was [Leonard] that was trying to get out, get to a bigger market, and they were totally being upfront with him, and then they trade him for a guy [DeRozan] where that organization wasn’t being upfront with him at all.

"So, I mean, it’s just night and day. That trade right there shows you the difference between the San Antonio Spurs and other organizations."

First-hand experience

Gay is speaking from first-hand experience, as he went through a similar situation when he was dealt from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Raptors after over six years with the team.

"When you're in the NBA, it's different. You have certain players that you just know are going to make their own decisions. But for everybody else, you're part of the league.

"We leave foundations. We build houses, have our kids in school. It's tough to go on and just uproot to another city. For DeMar, it's another country, so I kind of feel for him. I've been in that situation. It's not easy."

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