The Toronto Raptors locker room rarely discusses Kawhi Leonard's sensible free agent situation, hoping to focus on the task at hand and get a firm grip of the Eastern Conference's throne. Yet the possibility of him parting ways with the organization at the end of this season is palpable for all involved.
“We need him to stay,” Serge Ibaka told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “He keeps everybody safe — no one is safe if he leaves.”
Ibaka has been one of Leonard’s closest teammates upon his arrival in Toronto. In Leonard, Ibaka sees shades of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, two of his former star teammates with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“They have a similar mind-set, where if they want to do something, they know they can.”
Kawhi Leonard was known as the Klaw during his time in San Antonio, a reference to his mutant-like hands, as big as baseball mitts in the basketball court.
Serge Ibaka has tried to make “Deadly Zombie” and Cape Town (the city in South Africa) stick as his new nickname.
“I don’t know why, but he keeps telling me he’s from Cape Town,” said Ibaka, who was born in Congo. “Of all the places… Maybe he just wants to visit there someday.”
Leonard looked up from his locker a few stalls over and said. “You hating on me, Serge?” Leonard asked, smiling.
“No, man,” said Ibaka. “We need you to stay. Stay, Kawhi. Stayyyyyy.”
Kawhi Leonard chuckled and left the locker room. A friendly gesture to his teammate, but one that is met with plenty of trepidation from a front office that has been on its toes since the start of the 2018-19 season.
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