Samson & Es & Louis go live to break down the Kawhi news.
“BOOOOOM. THERE GOES THE DYNAMITE. After weeks of waiting, speculation and enough uncertainty to drive Raptors fans crazy, Kawhi Leonard is finally coming back to Toronto. The man who delivered the franchise’s only championship is heading back to the city where he became a legend.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday, the Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to complete a trade that will send Leonard back to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two second-round picks.
That’s a lot to give up. There’s no reason to dress it up or pretend otherwise. Toronto just surrendered a significant chunk of its future to bring back a 35-year-old superstar with an extensive injury history. However, when you look at where this Raptors team is right now, the move makes a lot more sense.
Toronto isn’t trying to figure out what it has anymore. The Raptors already know what this group can be. They won 46 games last season, grabbed the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and took the Cavaliers to a deciding Game 7. Scottie Barnes has become the centrepiece of the franchise, Collin Murray-Boyles looks like another major piece for the future, and RJ Barrett has shown he can be far more than a complementary scorer.
The foundation is there. What Toronto didn’t have was another player who can change the equation when the games get bigger, and the margin for error gets smaller. Now they do.
Leonard brings something almost impossible to acquire through the draft: a player who has already been through the fire and knows what it takes to come out the other side.
Of course, questions surround Leonard. Anyone pretending otherwise is ignoring the obvious. He’s 35, his body has been through plenty, and Toronto is putting a significant amount of its future in the hands of a player whose availability has been an issue throughout his career. But there is an important distinction here.
The Raptors aren’t trading for the memory of Kawhi Leonard. They’re trading for the player he was last season. Leonard finished seventh in MVP voting and earned an All-NBA selection. He showed that, when healthy, he can still operate at a level very few players in the league can reach.”
Have a blessed day.
