Kawhi Leonard did the unprecedented, leaving the Toronto Raptors just 22 days after he led them to their first ever NBA championship. The reigning Finals MVP chose to go home, and play in his hometown for the Los Angeles Clippers.
And Raptors head coach Nick Nurse completely understands why Leonard did what he did.
“I think you can't blame a guy for wanting to go home,” Nurse said per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “That's what he texted me today. ‘I'm going home.' And I just said, ‘You've changed a lot of lives, man, by what you've accomplished in Toronto. Mine especially.' And thanked him for what he did, and we'll look to the future, and we'll look to [win a title] again.”
Leonard shocked the world when he pulled off a Houdini act of recruiting Paul George to join him in L.A., with the help of Houdini himself, Mr. Jerry West. The Clippers made the blockbuster deal for George, who reportedly requested a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder a few days ago, in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a massive haul of draft picks. This eventually sealed the deal for Leonard's move to the Clippers.
Nevertheless, despite losing the reigning Finals MVP, Toronto fans still appreciate what Leonard did for them in his one lone season up in the North. I mean, he won them a championship, something that no other franchise star has ever done for the city.
Leonard was never meant to be a Raptor in the first place. The San Antonio Spurs sent him packing up north after his weird fall-out with the storied franchise in 2017-18.
Despite the circumstance and the situation, Leonard still gave everything he had for Toronto and the entire country of Canada. He made countless playoff moments in their magical postseason run, including an iconic series-clinching, buzzer-beater in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Leonard is already the greatest Raptor of all time. And it took him a mere 84 total games to accomplish that recognition.
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