This is LeBron James’ fault. Last May, the Toronto Raptors suffered a 4-0 sweep in back-to-back seasons at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers after a historic playoff series by the four-time Most Valuable Player. That ultimately led to the firing of coach Dwane Casey who ironically won Coach of the Year honors at the 2018 NBA Awards last June.
Apparently, the Toronto Raptors weren’t done rebooting the team just yet, sending shockwaves throughout the NBA by swapping franchise player DeMar DeRozan with the San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard. It’s a huge gamble on the part of the Raptors who are aware of Leonard’s preference of playing for either of the league’s Los Angeles teams, the Lakers or the Clippers. Now comes the hard part of convincing the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to re-sign with the Raptors next summer when he becomes a free agent.
Can they do it?
Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder Experiment
This is Paul George’s fault.
Last year, George declared that he wanted out of Indiana despite having another year on his contract before he can opt out with the Pacers. He wanted to go to the Lakers when he became a free agent so he gave the team the option to trade him rather than lose him for nothing in free agency. But the Lakers were unwilling trade partners, fully expecting to get George to sign with them the following year without having to give up any of its young assets.
Rather than keep a disgruntled George in its roster for an entire year, he was traded to the Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo.
After a year of playing for the Thunder, however, George changed his mind and decided to re-sign with OKC as soon as the 2018 free agency started the midnight of July 1.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is hoping that the same will hold true for them with regards to their newly acquired star player. Ujiri is gambling the future of the franchise with this deal, that Kawhi Leonard will genuinely want to play for the franchise beyond the upcoming season.
However, George has a vastly different personality from Leonard. While George has established a close relationship with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, the same can’t be said for Leonard and his relationship with any of the other Spurs players. He simply doesn’t warm up to people in the same way that George does with those he plays with.
Nick Nurse’s Job
As the new head coach, Nick Nurse has the unenviable task of not only trying build on last season’s success, he has to accomplish it while making Leonard as comfortable as possible within the framework of the system that he is about to introduce to the team. That means he has to make his players buy into his system which may center around Leonard and his talents. What makes this extra challenging for Nurse is the fact that he is building around a player who he is essentially courting so that he falls in love with the Raptors as a franchise.
Unlike with the Spurs where Leonard is part of the system that was created to maximize the talents of the players in the roster, Nurse might build a player-centric system where Leonard is the focal point. The 6-foot-7 small forward is arguably the NBA’s best two-way player and that could play a part in how Nurse and his coaching staff decide to go about creating the Raptors’ identity in training camp.
But the problem with this approach is the fact that the system is dependent on a player who may or may not return the following season. This could alienate the rest of the players who have been with the team for many seasons now. Chief among them is Kyle Lowry who is no doubt wondering his place in the Raptors plans now that his close friend has been dealt.
Instead, Nurse can stick with former coach Dwane Casey’s offensive and defensive systems while making adjustments that will take into account the otherworldly talents of the 2016-17 MVP candidate. Though Casey’s offense is predicated on plenty of ball movement, Nurse should be able to create plays within the system to allow Leonard the freedom to create and explore. It’s a balance of maximizing Kawhi Leonard’s talents while keeping the rest of the roster involved in the offense as Casey had made successful last season.
The Team
Lowry is the key to making Leonard feel welcome and the entire team will fall in line. The Raptors are getting one of the best players in the league but they have to incorporate a “silent assassin” type of A-lister who needs his share of the spotlight. Eventually, that spotlight will find its way to Leonard soon enough and the team will have to accept that.
But Lowry has to continue being its vocal leader since Leonard hardly speaks at all. What he needs is for the fiery point guard to lead with his mouth while Leonard dominates the game on both ends of the floor.
Kawhi Leonard will never be able to do what Lowry does and vice versa and they can co-exist both on the floor and off it as long as their roles are clear. It’s a similar set up when DeRozan was with them but with a player who is as competitive as any player but is uncomfortable barking instructions to his teammates.
A Winning Culture
The Raptors have become one of the league’s best teams the past few years and if there is anything that will resonate deeply with a player who has just been traded, it’s winning. Everyone wants to win. Winning solves many problems just as losing exposes them. What Leonard needs to see is a Raptors team that knows what it wants to do and is successful at it. When the team knows its identity it’s easier for someone like Leonard to understand where he can plug himself in to continue the success.
It’s a precarious situation that the Raptors find themselves in with Leonard. On one hand, he’s a part of the team. On the other, it’s going to feel like the Raptors are auditioning right before his eyes so that he picks them next summer over other teams.
But make no mistake about it. Having Leonard on the squad will make the Raptors better than they ever were when DeRozan was on the team. The best case scenario for this team is that they reach the Finals before they lose to whichever Western Conference team makes it there. Most likely, it’s the Warriors and the Raptors may not have the necessary firepower to win against them. Yet with Leonard on the team, they have a defender who can take on Durant one-on-one without any help.
Who knows if Leonard, the 2014 Finals MVP, can elevate his game further in the championship round and somehow will this Raptors team to the championship?
What Kawhi Leonard Wanted
Kawhi Leonard wanted to go to the Lakers. Later reports said that he simply wanted to go to L.A. regardless if it was the Lakers or the Clippers. The fact that he didn’t get what he wanted and he was dealt to a team from a rival conference by the Spurs definitely has him unsure of what he has to do next.
It’s hard to dismiss the idea that the Spurs sent him off to a team in another country out of spite. From sunny L.A. to freezing Toronto, Leonard got the opposite of what he wanted. The front office will have to sell him on the benefits of playing in the city of Toronto as well as the advantages of staying with this Raptors team.
Immediately after the trade was reported, Kawhi Leonard was likely thinking that he will just play out his one year in Toronto and bolt for L.A. once he is eligible to become a free agent next season. But he also has to remember that he has to pour his heart into playing well so he can get a max contract offer from the team that he wants.
Toronto will want him back but it’s very difficult to see him changing his mind about playing in L.A. Perhaps the only thing that will make him reconsider returning next season to Toronto is an NBA title. After all, it’s very difficult to walk away from a championship team especially one which you led to the win.
Short of holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which is not the most realistic thing at this point, it’s hard to see Leonard staying in Toronto beyond this coming season.
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