If Kawhi is healthy and into it, Raptors can be DINO-MITE
Kawhi Leonard and his camp — and really, you’re nobody in the NBA unless you have a camp — could teach an instructional course on how to blow $211 million and harm your image. That would be a valuable infomercial for budding superstars and fledgling agents.
The San Antonio Spurs honored Kawhi’s trade demand on Wednesday by sending the former NBA Finals MVP not only out of the Western Conference but out of the country altogether. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will have to wait until next July 1 to make a run at Kawhi now that the two-time All-Star who played just nine games last season will spend a cold winter in Toronto.
Raptors President Masai Ujiri, who made a name for himself by swindling James Dolan in both Denver and Toronto, is making a huge gamble that he can sign Leonard next summer to a long-term deal. A report has already surfaced that Leonard has no interest in playing for the Raptors. Leonard didn’t actually say that because Leonard never actually says anything.
Everything gets funneled through his camp: his unhappiness with the Spurs, his trade demand, his injury status and now his unhappiness with moving to Toronto. If LeBron or Kobe Bryant ever pulled a stunt like this, they would be eviscerated.
Hopefully, the Raptors hold a press conference soon so we can hear from Leonard himself. He certainly has a lot to answer for.
This is one of those rare trades that seems to make sense for both teams. Leonard, who could have received a five-year, $221 million super max extension from San Antonio, forced the Spurs’ hand and left them with few options.
His preferred destination is the Lakers, but Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka weren’t willing to hand over assets for a player they believe they can sign next summer. Meanwhile, other teams were unwilling to get involved because they view Leonard as a one-year rental.
Ujiri, the Nigerian-born executive, has the confidence/arrogance to believe that over the next 11 months he can get Leonard to buy into the franchise and the city. DeMar DeRozan, who like Leonard is from Los Angeles, fell in love with Toronto and the fans returned that love tenfold.
Remember, this is a town that two decades ago no American kid wanted to play in. DeRozan signed up to stay. That meant a lot to Canadians.
DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick are being sent to San Antonio. DeRozan is bitter about the move, saying he was told by the front office that he wouldn’t be traded. In time, he’ll learn to appreciate what he’s got in San Antonio. He’s a solid guy, a professional and an All-Star. Leonard was once that until he hurt his quad, starting feuding with the Spurs and began rehabbing in New York and living in South Orange, N.J. with his uncle/advisor Dennis Robertson. That’s Uncle Dennis to you.
The relationship between the Spurs, Leonard and Uncle Dennis deteriorated to the point that Leonard didn’t even attend San Antonio’s home or road playoff games. He had always been an aloof character but now he was officially detached. The Spurs didn’t handle this well either. There is a belief that the front office encouraged Tony Parker to publicly question the severity of Leonard’s injury. We certainly weren’t used to this type of dysfunction from the Spurs. It was fascinating to watch it unfold and ultimately unravel.
If Leonard is healthy and fully engaged he will have a monster season with the Raptors, who also received Danny Green in the deal. With LeBron now in Los Angeles, the Eastern Conference is wide open and in Leonard the Raptors just added, when healthy, the most accomplished and best player in the East.
That Atlantic Division is loaded with talent: Kawhi, Kyrie Irving and a deep roster in Boston, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and of course, Kristaps Porzingis. That’s pretty good.
Kawhi and Kyrie will both become free agents on July 1 and the Knicks privately believe they have a decent shot at signing the latter. And right now the Lakers are confident that Leonard will eventually join them.
But a lot can happen over the course of a season. The feeling was that Paul George was a one-year rental in Oklahoma City before he would join LeBron in Hollywood. George didn’t even give Magic Johnson a meeting before re-signing with OKC.
If Sam Presti can pull that one off, Masai Ujiri has a chance to get Kawhi to stay. Either way, the Knicks rebuild just got tougher while LeBron’s road to a title just hit another pothole.