Justin Batiste
Why Leonard to the Raptors is the most interesting move of the summer?
Out of all the moves that have been made during free agency this summer. Kawhi Leonard being traded to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Poeltl and a protected first round pick in 2019 has to be the most interesting one yet. Spurs guard, Danny Green was also dealt to the Raptors. The best move of the summer was DeMarcus Cousins to the Warriors, but the most interesting one has to be Leonard to Toronto. What makes this move so interesting?
Well first off, how will Leonard look in a system that’s not ran by Gregg Popovich. When you watch the Spurs play, you’re watching basketball at it’s best. Everything looks fluid. Players are always moving, the ball is constantly moving, everyone seems to know their role and they play it well. Players are playing the “Spurs way”. While with the Spurs, some would say that Leonard was arguably the second-best player in the NBA next to LeBron James. Now with probably more freedom, and with the ball in his hands more often. Will Leonard still look like the second-best player in the NBA?
Second, will Leonard look like a player that just came off injury or will Leonard look like the player of old? If Leonard comes out next season playing like the Leonard of old, there’s a strong possibility Leonard wins himself a MVP. Although the Raptors lost DeRozan. This team still has all the same players returning from last season. Maybe losing Dwayne Casey might affect their season, however the Raptors new head coach, Nick Nurse was the Raptors assistant for the last 5 years. So, the loss of Casey shouldn’t affect them too much. If Leonard is putting up numbers, and the Raptors are winning. Why not Leonard for MVP? After taking a year off it’s going to be interesting to see how Leonard comes back.
Third, Will Leonard finish the season as a Raptor? Leonard will still be an unrestricted free agent after next season. Which means he has the option to go where ever he wants. Will the Raptors make a trade for him during the season or keep him?
Lastly, how good will the Raptors be with Leonard now on the roster? The Raptors are going to the playoffs. The question is how far will they advance with Leonard now on the roster. Is Leonard the answer to all the Raptors playoff problems? The Celtics are looking like the favorites to come out the east. However, the Raptors were the number one seeded team in the east last season, they just added a super star and no more LeBron. This move has to be the most interesting move yet.
