At Long Last, Kawhi Leonard Is Officially A Toronto Raptor (Again)
Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.Well it's about goddamn time! It's been 76 days since the Kawhi Trade was first announced, but given the whole cheating scandal, punishment and then eventual acceptance by Steve Ballmer to not fight the charges, you could say it took a while before Raptors fans could properly celebrate one of the biggest moves of the entire offseason. There were rumblings that maybe the Clippers would try and take Kawhi to the market now that the investigation was over in an attempt to maybe secure some additional picks, but in the end the original deal went through and now the fun can begin.
As a reminder, this isn't just a one year thing before Kawhi would be slated to hit unrestricted free agency. That would be insane for the Raptors to do. Instead, they'll have him on the roster for the next few years at big money
which in some way makes this whole outcome even funnier. Not only did he get a slap on the wrist with that $700K fine while the Clippers got the death penalty, but he also walks away with another fully guaranteed $126M to take him through his age 37 season. That my friends, is how you successfully negotiate your leverage. You may think Kawhi is a bit of an asshole for how all this went down, but it's certainly hard to argue with the results if you're him. Sure Clippers fans may hate him for the rest of time, but so what? Now he's going back to a city and a fanbase that love him for what he did in 2019 when he put that franchise on his back to carry them to their only title, which is how this all started in the first place
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Given that we can now look ahead for what it means for the 2026 Raptors, it's hard to argue they aren't now intriguing as hell and should be a legit contender in the East (and maybe even for the title) as long as Kawhi is able to replicate the season he just had. I know there's a lot of injury talk that goes on with Kawhi, but let's not forget he just completed a 2nd Team All NBA season while playing 65 games. If he does that again for the next few years? The Raptors should be pretty damn good.
Already a team that was on the upswing (46 wins), if there was one thing that roster true needed, it was a real 1A option. Someone who could create his own shot, someone who was efficient and played both ends of the floor. Looking at their depth chart, there aren't too many holes (barring health)
To go from Brandon Ingram to Kawhi is a pretty massive jump, and I also don't think we should sleep on what this has the potential to do for Scottie Barnes. Now, he can comfortably slide into a #2 spot where he won't have to shoulder the burden of self creation and being THE GUY, something that his game isn't really suited for at this time. You can let Kawhi handle all of that shit and just focus on everything else, so I have no doubt Barnes is about to have a massive year.
The thing about the Raptors is they are a complete bitch to play. They get in your ass in terms of ball pressure and guard you 94 feet, they're physical, they are loaded with legit young talent, and they have a smart coach. You can win a shit ton of games in the NBA with that, but to take that next step, you need the superstar. That's where Kawhi fits in like a glove. Not only is he going to make their defense even better, but he's capable of carrying that offensive load while he's on the floor. It's hard to think of a better roster fit for Kawhi than this current Raptors team, so I'm excited to see how it all works even knowing I'll now have to deal with this team on a regular basis. It wouldn't shock me at all if they took a jump to a top 4 seed (or higher) with a healthy Kawhi, and with all the talent coming East this year, the entire season should be an absolute bloodbath.
In the end, he probably should have never left in the first place back in 2019. But if he somehow wins a 2nd ring in Toronto? I'm not sure a single Raptors fan will give a shit about what happened. Hell, they may already not care since he's back and looks as good as ever.