For NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard shouldn't have left the Toronto Raptors. And he laid out some pretty solid arguments to defend his case.
Speaking on First Take, Perkins explained why Leonard's departure from the Raptors to the Clippers was a “tragedy.” According to Perkins, Leonard had a whole country behind him, not to mention the splendid supporting cast he had with the Raptors.
“It was a tragedy. You know why? Because the man Kawhi, not only did he have an organization, a city, but he had a country in his hands in Canada. They wanted to give him the world. He had a great supporting cast. You talkin' 'bout he joined a team that was the No.1 seed when he joined Toronto when he was traded from the Spurs. He had everything he wanted in Toronto. He chose to leave Kyle Lowry, a guy that had been to multiple Conference Finals.”
Apart from Lowry, Perkins also mentioned the likes of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, two big men who have some significant playoff experience on their resume.
"It was a tragedy! … He had everything he wanted in Toronto!"@KendrickPerkins believes Kawhi should have never left the Raptors. pic.twitter.com/1Qd2NcWgpz
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 16, 2020
Perkins beefed up his argument by pointing out that Leonard essentially left the East — known to be the less-competitive conference — for the West, the conference loaded with superteams. And not just that, he went to the same city that LeBron James was in.
Agree or not with Perkins, he did raise some valid points. A ton of what-ifs are probably going through the heads of die-hard Kawhi Leonard fans right now.
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