NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes that the 2019 NBA Playoffs will dictate the direction of the Toronto Raptors franchise.

Barkley said that the current playoff campaign of the Raptors is the most important in franchise history. The current TNT analyst described the 2019 NBA Playoffs as “franchise-changing” for the Raptors.

Sir Charles pointed out that the Raptors need to go deep into the playoffs or make the NBA Finals. If they fail to do so, Barkley believes that Toronto will fail to keep superstar forward Kawhi Leonard. And if they lose Leonard, Barkley said the atmosphere in Toronto will change drastically.

“If they don't go deep in the playoffs, or they do not make it to the finals, Kawhi is not going to stay there,” Charles Barkley said via NBA on TNT. “We will never go to Toronto again.”

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The Raptors took a huge gamble on Leonard. They gave up former franchise superstar DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl along with a 2019 first-round pick in exchange for Leonard and Danny Green in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason. It was a risky move, knowing that Leonard could bolt out of Toronto after just one season.

Leonard could become a free agent if he decides to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Raptors. If he chooses to opt out of his contract, the 27-year-old superstar is expected to get a lot enticing offers — including from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Toronto took a shocking 104-101 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their series on Saturday. However, they bounced back with a huge 111-82 Game 2 victory on Tuesday with Leonard leading the way. He finished with 37 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes.