DeMar DeRozan certainly wasn't expecting to be traded from the Toronto Raptors during the offseason.

However, the former first round pick ended up being the big piece that the San Antonio Spurs received in the Kawhi Leonard trade. While DeRozan wasn't a huge fan of the trade at first, one of his close friends, James Harden, believes that joining the Spurs will be a great opportunity for him and Gregg Popovich will "put him in positions he has never been in and he will be even more successful.

From Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News:

“Obviously, he was devastated about the trade,” Harden said. “We all know that. But I think this is an opportunity for him, for his career. He is going to one of the best organizations we have in the NBA and one of the best coaches ever. So Pop is going to put him in positions he has never been in and he will be even more successful.”

Harden definitely has a valid point in that DeRozan has never had an opportunity to play for a Hall of Fame head coach like Popovich. After all, Popovich has led the Spurs to five NBA titles and the 2017-18 season was the first campaign since the 1998-99 season that the team failed to reach the 50-win mark. However, it's also worth noting that San Antonio dealt with a significant amount of injury, including Leonard playing in just nine games before he would play his last game in January.

DeRozan brings a great deal of firepower to an offense that is centered around LaMarcus Aldridge. In addition, veteran swingman Rudy Gay will return to San Antonio after a very productive first season with the team in which he showcased his skills as the team's top reserve. The former Raptor is coming off a season in which he 23.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 45.6 percent from the field.

San Antonio is getting a four-time All-Star that really could be a piece that takes the franchise to the next level after being eliminated in the first round of the postseason this past year. DeRozan has quite a bit of postseason experience after the Raptors have been to the playoffs in every season since the 2013-14 campaign. In addition, the Raptors have won at least one series in the postseason in each of the last three seasons under former head coach Dwane Casey.

The Spurs are getting a player that truly is a lethal option in the mid-range game in addition to being a slasher. DeRozan was certainly a huge return in exchange for Leonard and San Antonio likely will be right back into the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference next season.