Gregg Popovich: Kawhi Leonard, DeMar DeRozan Trade 'Great' for Spurs, Raptors

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich seems happy with his team's blockbuster trade.

The organization announced a deal Wednesday that sent Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick.

"I couldn't be happier," Popovich said, per the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps. "... I think this trade is going to work out great for both teams. ... Kawhi is not going to stop being a great player. But we're thrilled with DeMar."

The trade comes after months of speculation about Leonard's future, which also featured a reported strained relationship with the organization, per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael C. Wright.

However, Popovich dismissed those types of negative stories and said Tuesday, "They were unfortunate."

"We wish him well as he moves into Toronto," the coach said of Leonard. "I think he'll be great."

The forward finished second in MVP voting in 2015-16 and third in 2016-17 as one of the NBA's top two-way players, but last year was a lost season, as a quad injury limited him to nine games. With the disconnect between him and the team as well as possible free agency in 2019, it made a trade much more likely.

San Antonio adds DeRozan, who is coming off his fourth All-Star appearance. The team will hope he will help keep it competitive after it finished with its worst record in 20 years (47-35) last season.