When the Toronto Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs during the summer of 2018, they knew there was a high probability that Leonard would be a one-year rental.
But the Raptors took the chance anyway, and it paid off, as Leonard proceeded to lead Toronto to its first-ever NBA championship.
Still, the Raptors' fears of Leonard bouncing came to life this past July, as Leonard opted to bolt Toronto for the Los Angeles Clippers, a move that many had been expecting since the beginning of last season.
Now, Leonard has teamed up with Paul George, and the Clippers are considered by many to be the favorites to win the title this year.
But the Raptors haven't exactly been slouches since Leonard's departure, as they will enter their meeting with Kawhi's Clippers on Wednesday night at 16-7.
Putting aside the raucous ovation that Leonard is likely to receive from the Toronto fans, you have to wonder: based on how well the Raptors are doing even without Leonard, would they be the favorites to repeat if Leonard had stayed?
Remember: if Leonard re-upped with Toronto, there would be no Clippers. Not in their current state, anyway.
Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers still would have formed, and the Raptors would still have to contend with the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers (heck, even the Indiana Pacers if Victor Oladipo gets healthy) in the Eastern Conference.
That being said, it would be awfully hard to look past Toronto if Leonard were still a member of the club.
You can be frustrated by his persistent load management all you want, but Leonard may very well be the best player in all of basketball, and he showed it last June.
Sure, the Raptors lucked out with all of the Golden State Warriors' injuries, but they wouldn't even have to worry about the Warriors coming out of the West this year.
Pascal Siakam has grown into a legitimate star, Kyle Lowry looks a heck of a lot better than he did a year ago and it seems obvious that the championship pedigree that was instilled in Toronto last spring has carried over into the 2019-20 campaign.
Add Leonard into the mix, and you would have an incredibly formidable opponent capable of beating anyone in the NBA in a seven-game series.
There are a lot of talented teams in the league right now, but if Leonard were still donning Raptors colors, you would have to call them the favorites. If not based on talent, then on respect alone.
Generally, the defending champs always enter the following season as the favorites unless there were drastic changes (like their best player leaving), so even if you believed the Lakers or someone else in the East would be better, you would have to label Toronto as the No. 1 contender just because it still holds the title belt.
But none of that matters at this point, as Leonard will be entering Scotiabank Arena as an opponent on Wednesday evening and will give Raptors fans familiar glimpses of not only what was, but what could have been.
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