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Toronto Raptors: Was Kawhi Leonard trade necessary with LeBron James gone?

By Anisa Jamal

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 10: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors on March 10, 2015 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 10: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors on March 10, 2015 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Raptors have been waiting for LeBron James to leave the conference. With his departure, did Toronto need to make the Kawhi Leonard trade?

Last season, the Toronto Raptors were the best team in the Eastern Conference before being swept by LeBron James. The team won 59 games and looked good in the first-round of the playoffs.

The enjoyment was brief. In the second round, LeBron imposed his will once again. He embarrassed the Toronto Raptors with a four game sweep.

LeBron is now gone. With the best player in the league out of their conference, did Toronto really need to risk DeMar DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard trade? The answer is yes.

From the moment the Raptors were eliminated from the 2018 Playoffs, Masai knew something needed to change. Last season’s “culture reset”, although only being tested for a year, had no impact on Toronto’s fortunes.

Bigger Goals

Once the rumors started, several people were looking forward to a future without Lebron in the East.

That wasn’t enough for the Raptors. They weren’t just going to sit still and see how next season played out. They wanted to be able to compete and play the type of basketball the rest of the NBA has been playing for years. Trading for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green seemed like the best option to make this happen.

It definitely would be an accomplishment for the Raptors to finally make an NBA Finals, but the ultimate goal is to compete for a championship. The team needed to be built to compete with not only the Eastern Conference but every single team in the NBA.

Yes, LeBron is in the Western Conference. But if your goals are big enough, he is still an obstacle.

Filling team needs

The Raptors defense fell apart in the postseason. It was one of the reasons they played so poorly in the series vs the Cavaliers. It’s something that Kawhi and Danny Green both bring to the table.

Combine both players with the defensive abilities of OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Fred Vanvleet and the Raptors should be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

Offensively, Toronto should be fine. Nick Nurse was hired to build on what he started last year, and although losing DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl puts a dent in last year’s system, adding one of the league’s best scorer’s Kawhi makes up for that.

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In the long run DeMar’s contract only lasted two or three more years (Player option for year three). If the Raptors were not able to produce once his contract came to an end, there is no doubt that Masai would have begun a rebuild, with the expiring contracts of Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka as well. Kawhi may only be guaranteed for a year but that’s a gamble the Raptors needed to make.

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