The emergence of Pascal Siakam this season as the probable Most Improved Player and his performance in Game 1 of The Finals triggered a discussion on whether the San Antonio Spurs could have acquired him from the Toronto Raptors for Kawhi Leonard.

The Spurs acquired DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first round pick for Leonard and Danny Green.

The Raptors reportedly refused to include Siakam and OG Anunoby in trade talks for Leonard.

"My understanding is they would not trade him," said Tim Bontemps on The Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast.

"No, he was not (available). I don't think so either," said Jackie MacMullan. 

The Brooklyn Nets have named Andy Birdsong as assistant general manager.

“Andy is an accomplished basketball executive who brings a wealth of experience in talent evaluation and roster construction to our front office team,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “The knowledge he has garnered from his time as a member of such exemplary organizations as the Spurs and the Hawks will greatly benefit our group. We are excited to welcome Andy, his wife, Megan, and his son, Ace, to Brooklyn.” 

Birdsong comes to Brooklyn from the San Antonio Spurs, where he served as director of pro player personnel, as well as general manager of the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. After beginning his career in San Antonio in 2011 as a basketball operations intern, Birdsong joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2012 as manager of basketball operations.  Following three seasons in Atlanta, Birdsong returned to the Spurs in 2015 as director of basketball operations and was promoted to his most recent position in 2016. The Wayzata, Minn., native earned his bachelor’s degree from Bethel University and his master’s degree in sports administration and management from Florida State University, where he also served as a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball program.

Kawhi Leonard has reached the NBA Finals in his first season with the Toronto Raptors following his trade from the San Antonio Spurs.

Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, spoke with Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports about the historical moment of reaching the Finals with the Raptors.

“We’re a humble family and we’re just enjoying the moment,” Robertson said. “Most people would say it’s vindication, but I’m not sure about that. But it was nice that we kept our mouths shut and just let everything play out. And for Kawhi, to take all the negative press he received and to focus on taking the East and to taking each series game by game, it’s a big deal. Making it to the Finals is a big deal. This is a team that has never been to the Finals and we’re happy about that. It feels good with what we went through last year. We have to be happy. He said it best with all the work he's put into his craft: He’s ready for this moment. What he accomplished was amazing. That’s what stars do. How he’s handled everything on and off the court is well deserved. It was nice to see him fight through all the adversity and he’s earned every minute of this.”

Robertson was also asked about the deterioration of Leonard's relationship with the Spurs.

“I think it just became a lack of trust,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports. “They didn’t believe Kawhi couldn’t play and that caused a lack of trust in us and then us not believing in them. Any time a player says he’s not capable of playing, you should believe him. Why would Kawhi just stop playing all of a sudden? He’s a competitor. Sometimes you get these team doctors telling you what you can and cannot do, and Kawhi was just in too much pain to get out there. This was a serious issue. They didn’t believe him, and after that, the relationship couldn’t recover and we decided we had to move on.”

The Raptors were not on Leonard's list of teams prior to the trade.

“When you are initially traded somewhere you didn’t asked to be, you don’t want to accept it,” Robertson said. “But once you get through that period, the focus then turns to giving your all and performing at a high level. It never had anything to do with the city of Toronto. It wasn’t. Toronto is a beautiful city. Kawhi has often spoke highly of Toronto. It’s a beautiful place. That was just an initial reaction, which is normal. But we’re enjoying this run and looking forward to the Finals.”

Robertson was then asked about Leonard's free agency plans.

“I can’t get into other free agents and other teams, but for Kawhi, he’s going to take it one day and one game at a time,” Robertson said. “We have a championship opportunity in front of us. We’re not thinking about free agency; it’s the Warriors [right now]. Once we get through the season, we’ll turn our attention to free agency. But we’re just having fun right now. This has been a great year.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers received permission to interview San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina. The interview will take place this week. 

Messina is one of Gregg Popovich's top assistants with the Spurs.

The Cavs interviewed another Spurs assistant in Ime Udoka on Sunday. 

The Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly discussed a trade centered on DeMar DeRozan for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in 2017. The Thunder had acquired Oladipo and Sabonis the previous offseason from the Orlando Magic. 

Oklahoma City eventually traded Oladipo and Sabonis to the Indiana Pacers for Paul George. Oladipo has become an All-Star since his deal to the Pacers.

"When Oklahoma City traded for Paul George, the Thunder could have done the same exact deal at that time for DeMar DeRozan," said Adrian Wojnarowski. "They could have done Sabonis and Oladipo for DeRozan. In some ways, it would have been safer because (DeRozan) was under contract. They felt Paul George was the better player and they said 'let's roll the dice, we're going to convince him to stay.'"

The Raptors traded DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in a package for Kawhi Leonard during the 2018 offseason.