Some NBA deals became real on Saturday

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS

Toronto said farewell to Kawhi Leonard. Miami said hello to Jimmy Butler.

Free agency finally became real Saturday.

The four-team trade that sent Butler to the Heat — with a new $142 million, four-year contract — was one of the first big moves to get done once the league’s offseason moratorium ended. But many of the other massive moves, such as Leonard’s signing with the Los Angeles Clippers and the trade to have Paul George join him, remained in the paperwork stage.

There was no real worry: Some deals, including a few that got agreed upon very quickly when the negotiating window opened June 30, simply needed to be slotted in a certain order to make the NBA’s money rules work. Others could get done as soon as the NBA said at 12:01 p.m. Eastern on Saturday that the new league year was officially underway.

Not all people.

Not always, anyway.

Toronto awoke to the news Saturday that two starters from this past season’s NBA champion Raptors — Leonard and Danny Green — were moving on. Leonard picked the Clippers and will sign a $142 million, four-year deal and George will be joining him in a massive trade that will send Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five draft picks to Oklahoma City in a blockbuster deal that shook up both conferences. Green is joining the Lakers on a two-year deal.