Kawhi Leonard should have stayed in Toronto, though it’s hard to fault someone for wanting to go home, if given the choice. Leaving his personal comfort and wants to be around family out of the picture though, there’s no doubt sticking around back in 2019 would have been Leonard’s best option if the priority was adding another NBA title or two to his collection.
Post-Kawhi Raptors Success
Consider that the post-Kawhi Raptors still went 53-19 (only Milwaukee won more games that season) and would have surrounded Leonard with an improved Pascal Siakam (he made all-NBA second team), Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell, a still-all-star-level Kyle Lowry, a healthy OG Anunoby (who missed the title run due to a ruptured appendix) and slipping, but still-solid big men Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka (they probably wouldn’t have been able to afford Danny Green, but would have been a juggernaut nonetheless). Had COVID-19 never happened, the Raptors — even sans Kawhi — would have been right in the mix to repeat. Only a rusty Siakam really held them back.
Leonard's Journey with the Clippers
Imagine if Leonard had been there to help out (he averaged 28.2 a game for the Los Angeles Clippers those playoffs). But it didn’t happen. Leonard went home but found that, while it might be where the heart is, it wasn’t where another championship was. Now the Clippers are retooling in a scarily competitive Western Conference and are nowhere close to winning that franchise’s first title.
Potential Return to Toronto
If Leonard returns to Toronto — ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said early Tuesday a deal is basically done, aside from haggling over draft compensation going to the Clippers — his pathway to at least another NBA Finals is much less daunting. Pair Scottie Barnes, ascendant in a seven-game loss to Cleveland and one of the best defenders on the planet, with Leonard and with emerging defensive monster Collin Murray-Boyles available off the bench, and suddenly the fifth-best defensive team last season levels up significantly and adds one of the most lethal offensive weapons in the sport.
Eastern Conference Landscape
The defending champion New York Knicks remain nearly intact and dangerous, but the rest of the East is either unproven (the Miami super-team, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland) or in some sort of flux (Boston with the Jaylen Brown saga, Detroit with the Jalen Duren drama). With a healthy Kawhi (always a major caveat), Toronto on paper looks like a Top 3 team in the conference.
Why the Trade Makes Sense
What other pathway to relevance is there for the Raptors? Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jakob Poeltl (with his back issues), rookie Allen Graves and Jamal Shead aren’t enough help for Barnes to make serious noise — barring a shocking leap to star status from Murray-Boyles or Walter. Rogers Communications wants the franchise to be relevant and competitive, which hasn’t happened all that often since the post-COVID return to NBA normalcy.
Risk vs. Reward
Yes, swinging on Kawhi, given his injury history (Leonard played in 59% of the Clippers’ games during his time there and in 69% of their playoff contests) and the fact he miraculously was the picture of health in a contract season, would not be without risk, but at a moderate cost point, it would be worth it. Ingram had a nice year (until the end), but has his own checkered health history. There’s no desire to part with Murray-Boyles or Walter and keeping them in a move is the only sane option for the Raptors. If a future first-round pick moved to the Clippers ends up being really good because Leonard got hurt again, so be it. There has to be some risk on both sides and Barnes doesn’t want to wait on competing, nor should he.
In high school, Barnes said Leonard was the NBA player he would most want to play with. While he enjoys teaming with Ingram, Leonard would get him closer to contention. It’s time to get it done.
