The Raptors took a franchise-altering risk last summer when they opted to trade for Kawhi Leonard. They’ll find out soon how much that gamble will pay off.
A year away from free agency, Leonard became available after he made it clear that he wouldn’t re-sign in San Antonio following a bitter dispute with Spurs management over the treatment of his quad injury. Leonard played just nine games last season and was meeting with his personal doctors in New York after the Spurs’ medical staff cleared him for action.
Toronto wasn’t on Leonard’s list of preferred locations, but the Raptors were ready to swing for the fences after years of disappointing playoff exits. They risked team chemistry by trading away DeMar DeRozan, a franchise cornerstone and Kyle Lowry‘s best friend, to obtain a player whose health and desire to stay with the organization beyond this season were both in question.
It didn’t take long for Leonard to resolve the first issue. He appeared in 60 games this season, and many of the ones he missed were for “load management” rather than injury. He performed at an All-Star level, averaging 26.6 points per game and reminding everyone why he was considered one of the best two-way players in the league.
Once the playoffs started, he raised his game even further. Coming into tonight, Leonard was averaging 31.4/8.4/3.6 in 17 games. Not only has he brought Toronto to its first-ever NBA Finals, he has become the team’s on-court leader and arguably the MVP of the postseason.
Much like the Thunder did last year with Paul George, the Raptors gambled that they could win over a star player by bringing him into their system and letting him experience success. While the partnership has worked wonderfully and Leonard is a beloved figure in Toronto, there’s still no guarantee it will be more than a one-year arrangement. Leonard has said little to nothing about his future plans, but there have been rumors for a long time that he wants to return home and play on the West Coast.
We want to get your opinion. Do you believe the Raptors have accomplished enough to make Leonard want to stay, or will he move on from Toronto when the offers start coming in this summer? Please leave your answers in the space below.
If he doesn’t stay after this, it was never possible. Simple as that.
Stays
Hard to fault this gamble since it led to the finals
They could get swept in the finals and lose Kawhi. The gamble was worth it.
Totally agree. There were going nowhere standing Pat. The Lowry DeRozan combo was not getting it done. Great regular season but flop in the playoffs.
I think he’s going to leave whether they win or lose. He clearly likes playing with those guys, but Toronto isn’t in his blood. He’s going to LA… Clippers.
As I said many times, K.L. Top 5 player of all time.
1. Jordan (Michael)
2. Kawai Leonard
3. Hakeem Olojuwon
4. Shaq
5. Larry Bird
James, Chamberlain, Pippen, Chis Paul, and either Larry Nance could beat that team.
Either Larry Nance !!
It’s not a top 5. I don’t like these sort of lists… They are impossible… I like teams. Like @form says, there is about 50 top players or more, just too many.
There are some Hall of Famers ifrom Boston and LA who would argue that list. But I cannot blame you for being young – just should not say “all time”when you mean “in my experience”..
He is very good though, and a gamer.
Man I’m thinking Bron and Kareem have to be in a top 5 or it’s not real.
Lebron in top 5? Lmao surely you have Kobe there too, more points and rings. Kobe wasn’t the athlete Lebron is, but you switch their places Kobe wins more rings playing in the East than Lebron has and Lebron would be lucky to have 1 in place of Kobe on the Lakers.
I have Kobe in the 12-18 range, but again, its subjective, although I am curious about your specific criteria that puts Kobe and LeBron where you have them. I had LeBron right outside those other 6 guys I mentioned until the last couple of years when he (with a lot of variables) won that 3rd ring, and then got that team to the finals his last year in Cleveland
Jordan, LeBron, Magic, Kareem, Bird, Wilt, Oscar…any of those guys can be considered the greatest of all time, and I dont think there is an argument. I had a list 40 or 50 deep, in my opinion, a couple of years ago that I need to find on my old computer b/c there is no way I could reproduce it off the top of my head. That being said, I feel like there are some guys that are tough to place. Its also really subjective, and depends on what variables matter/matter more to you. I tend to take a combination of a bunch of them before making my decision, but b/c of personal nuance, it can be different for different players…Shaq has always been tough to place for me b/c he is one of the 2 or 3 most dominant players in the history of the league
Kareem
Jordan
Oscar
Wilt
Russell
Magic
Kobe
Shaq
Bird
Dr.J
In my opinion lebron isnt even in the top 5. Yes he is one of the top of his generation but not in the history of the game.
Settle down, sunshine. You’re getting way ahead of yourself. He’s a great player. He’s not the second best player ever.
Just throwing it out there, but I’m really enjoying going back and looking at the reactions to the Kawhi trade
Is it already a good trade even if he doesn’t sign with TOR? If I’m the house I’m not paying out yet.
They lost Delon Wright in the Gasol trade, so that’s a young piece gone, but as I said after the trade, even if he leaves, they can quick start their rebuild around their young guys, and moving DeRozan opened up flexibility with their cap situation. I also said it couldn’t have been a more perfect trade for Toronto and Ujiri b/c it’s a win regardless, and they were a legit contender for the first time ever by getting 2 pieces that perfectly fit them, and getting rid of their biggest issue at the same time
Without Leonard, they’re going to be in a bit of a mess I think. They would still be an overthecap team, Lowry dispirited and with Green & Gasol, declining. Siakam & Anunoby have limited offenses. Poeltl is gone too with Wright.
LAC is a better team.
But I think I favored the trade for both teams & different reasons. Last hurrahs can be quite motivating & they needed a breakthrough.
Leonard is a selfish POS.
He’s going to bolt to whomever waves the most Benjamin’s in his face. Then he’s going to get hurt. You don’t spit in the face of Pop and the Spurs and not incur a huge Karmic debt. Beware gullible teams! A cancer is coming your way!
Go ahead haters and hate on me all you want. Just check back in a couple of years.
Mark my words. Book it…..
Your statement is complete drivel. If he was really driven by getting the most benjamins he would have stayed in San Antonio to get the super max. It would now be a no brainer (which it isn’t since all the rumors of him going to LA) of him staying in Toronto too since they are the only team that can offer him 5 years. Both LA teams can offer him the exact same amount. But sure its just about the money. He literally just lead a team to the finals. You are just salty he didnt put up with the Spurs BS
The Raptors can offer him the most money and are the only team who can offer him a 5th year. If he’s all about the money he stays there. You know nothing about what type of person Kawhi Leonard is and you clearly showed you have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to who can offer the most money. Skip Bayless burner account smh get over the fact that he left the Spurs
Waiting for your Blazers take.
I wanted to take some time before I posted anything about that to make sure it wasn’t based strictly on emotion lol.
It was an amazing year and this is my favorite Blazer’s team that I’ve ever seen (been a fan since the B-Roy days). The OKC series was insane, the Nuggets series was gritty, and I think they showed that they have the ability to compete with the defending NBA champs. The fact that they did it without Nurkic is a testament to our depth this year. It does get tough next year. You don’t get to add Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter at the deadline every year. Seth Curry is likely gone next year too and it’ll be tough next year without Nurkic until playoff time (at least). I’m so glad Meyers Leonard broke out because we will need him to play with that type of confidence next year and Collins showed he is ready to become a huge part of the rotation. I’m so proud of this team even though getting swept again hurts. I thought we would have won at least one, especially having the lead in all 4 (if i’m not mistaken) of the games. All in all, it was a great year and feels even greater when you put it in perspective. Nobody expected us to get that far WITH Nurk. I can’t wait for next year’s playoffs.
Tried to post it last night but it’s awaiting approval I guess
Since I guess they’re not gonna post it (but i can post other comments??) in a nutshell I’m happy with the season. Nobody expected the Blazers to get that far, especially without Nurkic. He was annihilating the Warriors in the regular season and would’ve been huge in that series. It’ll be tough next year with likely no Hood, Kanter, and Curry. This year’s depth was a blessing that won’t be there next year. I wish they had won at least 1 against the Blazers with KD out but that’s still a team that went 73-9 before KD got there. I’m excited for next year though because Meyers Leonard broke out and Collins showed he can be a huge part of the rotation. I can’t wait for next years playoffs. Assuming Nurkic plays, they’re not getting swept in the playoffs again.
Tried to post again but it’s awaiting approval again
Since they don’t want me to write a paragraph, season was good
Cmon, you were cussin’ after that sweep. I like & predicted GSW and I got salty! Extending Lillard is so risky.
I actually predicted a sweep. Portland just doesnt matchup well with GS, regardless of who was missing, as they’re a lesser version of them. Their front court and their wings are too inconsistent, and they dont get enough defense from their guards, besides Seth Curry. I thought Zach Collins would be important in this series, but his typical foul trouble kept him off the floor. And without both Lillard and CJ playing very well every game, i didnt see them winning, and even if they did, I didn’t think theyd get enough from anyone else. Meanwhile, GS really only needed 1 other guy to do anything for them to win.
I just thought there was one more year that they could beat Denver. Beating GSW was too much for what they have. McCollum should force a trade after next year… Lillard is “competitive”.
I honestly was surprised they beat Denver, even though you could argue they had better guards. I felt Denver went away from guys that helped them win all year, at times, in that series, like Monte Morris, Malik Beasley, Torey Craig, and Jamal Murray had a tough series at the same time. I was surprised Milsap wasnt more effective in that series, but maybe they didnt use him enough offensively against guys he should have had a good matchup against
Lol let’s not act like losing Nurkic wasn’t a big deal. The regular season series was split 2-2 with Nurk averaging 20-10. With the Warriors having no center depth, that could have changed the whole series. You’re both really not going to mention the fact that the Warriors were playing from behind for most of the series?
I never thought they weren’t going to win each game. 1 if my friends thought Portland could at least win a couple of games, but I never wavered.
You are right, but when I said regardless of who was missing, I didnt factor in Nurkic b/c he was out since the end of March, which was a couple of weeks before the playoffs. He could have helped them in the rebounding department, which could have made things more interesting, but I just dont have trust in Aminu, Turner, and Harkless to be consistent enough on both sides of the floor. I’ve made that mistake too many times in the last 3-4 years. I gave them an outside chance, depending on certain bench guys, but they didnt play enough due to foul trouble and b/c you arent going to sit Lillard or CJ for stretches just for defensive purposes, even with one or both struggling
Also why are you waiting for my take just so you can say you were right? I didn’t say Portland would beat the Warriors, I just said it wouldn’t be as big a mismatch as people think. And they were winning in every game. All that salt just cause your trash Nuggets got beaten by them.
Kawhi’s uncle had been trying to get him to NY for a couple of years. I dont think Kawhi was thinking for himself, but at the same time, whatever decision he ended up making was on him, and theres also no way of knowing for sure. I really thought he was the perfect guy for the Spurs, but things happen. Toronto pulled off the perfect trade, and now an entire country is behind him. It’s hard to leave that. We’ll see what happens. A lot of teams have flexibility and are in similar building positions, so not much would probably surprise me, but that seems to be tested every offseason
That damn Finals karma is a b*tch, aint it?
Best player in the NBA right now IMO. It’s ultimately between what we’ve been hearing this whole time, that he’s coming back to California 100%, and what people thought was nearly impossible, he wins a championship and stays. Masai has proven he has the ability to put a championship contender around him, but it’ll be tough to add pieces given their cap situation. I honestly think Kawhi ends up on the Clippers, even if the Raptors win this year. I could be completely wrong.
Wheres cesc? Remember when he didnt think Kawhi was even a top 25 player last offseason? Rofl
I am here, can’t remember saying not a top-25, that it is, as he is proven healthy, although only plays sparing games… but definitely isn’t a top-10, not in the RS that’s for sure, in this playoffs is doing better, probably the 3rd best player behind Jokic & KD. Is a very good player but I find him very unexciting & uninspiring, still think players like, Embiid, Giannis, Harden, AD, KAT, Jokic, Westbrook, Lebron, Curry, KD, (healthy DMC) are all better than him, which takes him out of top 10, then PG13, Lillard, Simmons, Griffin… are at similar level.
Wait how do you have Westbrook ahead of Kawhi??? Your whole list is pretty crazy. If you look at the stats and then also factor in the crazy D and all the clutch plays he’s #1 postseason for sure.
Wait…Westbrook is the one you have issue with? He is a former MVP that has averaged a triple double for a season.
For me, the ones that stand out are KAT, Embiid, and Jokic. I would put Kawhi, along with George and Lillard and possibly Bradley Beal, ahead of all of them. That’s not to say those three won’t EVER get to the top tier of players, but they aren’t there yet.
I will abstain on Cousins, since you might be right but he isn’t healthy. You could easily put John Wall in that discussion as well, but again health.
Well he’s not the only one – but not a big fan of Westbrooks MVP season. Definitely don’t think Wall is on this list healthy or not. DMC is also not healthy or not.
I’m a Wolves fan so I just avoid mentioning KAT but you’re right he’s not there at least not yet.
Westbrook’s awful play the past 2 postseasons really shows the difference between him and Kawhi. Offensively he’s not helping his team win as much as Kawhi and defense definitely goes to Kawhi. I was just offended by the comment that Westbrook is better when it’s clearly not so.
I can easily go back and quote you several times from last year, but at least now you consider him to be closer, which is a significant improvement lol. I still say that he is right behind Lebron and KD, and any of those guys can easily be considered the best right now. Anthony Davis is there too, but he is never healthy. As I’ve said all year, Giannis is still a step or 2 away from being there. I think he gets there, but he isnt there yet. When he finds the jumpshot though, good luck to everyone else
Before the second round cesc said that the 76ers were the “clearly better” team than the Raptors but they lost. Then he said the Bucks would beat the Raptors in five games. He is always wrong.
If that makes you happy, but have you ever thought that the best team doesn’t always win… didn’t think so, right?
He’s staying
Kareem
Jordan
Oscar
Wilt
Russell
Magic
Kobe
Shaq
Bird
Dr.J
In my opinion lebron isnt even in the top 5. Yes he is one of the top of his generation but not in the history of the game.
No way he stays with an over-aged supporting cast.
Kawhi is leaving… BUT… the trade was still worth it.
Kawhi will leave . Being a raptor also comes with a negative of having to travel out of country for road games . Which leads to security protocols into America and back into Canada. The travelling is the major reason why players don’t commit to Canada.
Chris Bosh said so himself. As much as he loved Toronto … The travelling during league games is why all player prefer America.
On a side note . One year of Kawhi has silenced derozans legacy as a raptor. To an extent:) cheers
Toronto did all they could. He goes home. He has a huge house in my town…SDSU kid. Steve Ballmer will take care of him. Raptors rebuild. Got rid of derozen contract and that will make it easier/faster. This travel stuff is garbage. They travel on chartered planes…a breeze compared to what we experience.
This makes me so sad…I am a new fan and it would be great to have an amazing player to watch in Canada…he is really elevating this game in Canada and fun to watch! Hope he stays but he doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy that wants a lot of attention or to be the big fish in a small pond. Lots of mega stars/athletes down there so little easier to blend in.
I don’t know if it would be much of a rebuild . All these players are in the NBA finals. We lose Kawhi , and that’s it . These players know how to ball .
An under-talked about aspect of the trade is that it cleared salary cap room for offseason. Obviously wasn’t the major component of the deal but helps to rebuild team if/when leaves.