The NBA is one the great modern forms of theater in today's society. Its latest act is playing out on Raptors all-star DeMar DeRozan's Instagram page.
The pretext to all of this was Toronto's reported interested in disgruntled Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. It looks like Leonard will surely be traded this offseason, with one year remaining on his contract, and while the Raptors were not one of the teams that initially were rumored to be in on those talks, the Washington Post reported the Raptors were 'generating buzz' in Leonard talks, with general manager Masai Ujiri able to dangle Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan.
That was reported on Monday. But fast-forward to Wednesday, and DeRozan took to Instagram to ... delete all of the contents of his Instagram. While it could just be a spiritual re-branding, one can't help but read into the IG-leaves and wonder if this report of the Raptors interest in Leonard and DeRozan's trability was the catalyst.
Oh, but there's more. On Thursday, an off-shore betting website listed the Raptors with the best odds -- even -- of being the team Leonard plays for come next season, better than his current squad in the Spurs, the long-time public favorite Los Angeles Lakers, and the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that Leonard is reportedly willing to sign an extension with.
MORE: Raptors start quietly in free agency, decisions still to be made this summer
It was a topic of conversation Thursday on ESPN's "The Jump," when NBA insider Ramona Shelbourne addressed the possibility of a Leonard-for-DeRozan-plus swap, and the invisible Instagram elephant in the room.
"It will be interesting to see what Toronto does this year because it's really hard to live up to what they did last year, and then get swept the way they did," Shelbourne said. "I don't think he would sign an extension there, or at least he would go in there thinking that. They're the proverbial team that did what ... Oklahoma City did last year with Paul George and say, 'You know what? Let's gamble and take the risk. Let's do it.'
Shelbourne was referring to the trade the Thunder made to acquire George from the Pacers, with one year remaining on his contract. While it was expected George would bolt in free agency to sign with the Lakers, and the assets the Thunder sent to Indianapolis (including Most Improved Player winner Victor Oladipo) would be for nought. But a year later, George signed a four-year deal without even taking a meeting in free agency with Los Angeles.
"I don't think anything is imminent. I don't think anything is happening right now," Shelbourne said with respect to a potential Leonard to Toronto trade. "But I do think that if you're looking for that gambling team, [Toronto] would be the team."
MORE: Can Raptors move top stars on trade market? NBA exec weighs in
DeRozan did leave the slightest bit of temporary content, posting written text in an Instagram story that read, "We had some bumps along the way. But the reward is in the journey. I'm in my bag."
Cryptic, inspirational, and vague enough to be spun into having to do with all the trade rumors. (According to the infallible NBA reddit, this is a regular social media cleanse for DeRozan.)
Remember, this is a league where players announce their free agent intentions with Twitter emojis, troll each other with customized t-shirts, and wear customized sweatshirts calling into question the level of experience of their peers.
On Wednesday, the Raptors and Spurs finalized a trade centered around DeRozan-for-Leonard, seeing the Raptors acquire the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, but while those negotiations were still yet to become official, DeRozan left further social media clues, again on Instagram.
While the #Raptors and #Spurs inch closer to finalizing a trade centered around Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan (per ESPN), DeRozan had this to post on his Instagram story. pic.twitter.com/p1dEFr32NL
— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) July 18, 2018
One of the posts, which read, "Be told one thing and the outcome another," could be a reference to a report that the Raptors brass reportedly told DeRozan he would not be traded during a recent meeting between the two sides in Las Vegas at the NBA Summer League. In the aftermath of the trade on Wednesday, DeRozan was reportedly "extremely upset" according to the NBA's David Aldridge, which would support the theory he was voicing his frustration on Instagram.