It's so hard to say goodbye... Spurs trade Bradley, White to Raptors for VanVleet

Avery Bradley's three-year stint in San Antonio has ended.

Confronted by a summer of tempting possibilities and tough choices, the San Antonio Spurs made bold waves after the NBA Draft in free agency, trading pesky defender Avery Bradley to one-time NBA Finals opponent Toronto Raptors, in exchange for newly re-signed combo-guard prospect, Fred VanVleet. Bradley spent three seasons with the Spurs, winning three championships and certainly had his moments of awe-inspiring tenacity and will to win.

To acquire a talented young player like VanVleet, the Spurs had to sweeten the pot in exchange as Toronto gets a nice parting token for VanVleet in prospect point guard, Derrick White. White showed flashes of promise for San Antonio, but his inclusion got the deal done as the Raptors receive an expiring contract in Bradley and a promising young player in White, as star point guard Kyle Lowry enters the legacy phase of his career for Toronto. The addition of Bradley & White will help lessen the blow of losing star mid-range beast, DeMarr DeRozan, to the Orlando Magic. The Magic had been filling up trade rumor reports last deadline, but did not budge before time ran out, rather signing DeRozan's talents outright this summer on a three-year pact, pairing the volume scorer with rough-edged potential star Aaron Gordon and resurgent point guard, Markelle Fultz.

VanVleet has tremendous passion for the game.

In acquiring VanVleet's services, which include guarding Steph Curry to a tee (as lured ex-Spur Iman Shumpert to San Antonio in years past) and unlike Bradley, a deadly 3-PT stroke (reminiscent of Lakers legend, Derek Fisher), the Spurs are poised for the always-frenetic dog-eat-dog future of the NBA. Fred is two inches shorter than Bradley, similarly undersized, but plays much bigger than his height, as Bradley did for the Spurs.

VanVleet is also four years Bradley's junior, and will be age 29 when his new four-year contract is set to expire. Fred went undrafted out of Wichita State, but impressed the Raptors in Summer League that year before securing a two-year guaranteed deal. "I'm a very ambitious guy and work my butt off to continue to grow and better each day," VanVleet described his approach to the game. "There's new levels for me to keep reaching. I think the future is bright." Deep inside VanVleet is a desire to be a starter; joining the Spurs made it a reality (due to Lowry's dominant presence in Toronto). "I'm ready for it."