Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is rising/falling, plus Kawhi takes Texas

Kawhi Leonard – Stock Up

If July comes around and Kawhi Leonard decides to opt out and sign with an L.A. team that isn’t the Lakers, I will happily accept that the one season we had with Kawhi, we witnessed one of the greatest players to play for the Raptors close to his peak.

Regardless of Leonard’s choice come free agency, you have to admit that watching him do his thing on a nightly basis has been an absolute honor and that you would make that trade eleven out of ten times.

Masai Ujiri rolled the dice and bet on the city of Toronto to woo and coerce Leonard into believing that the Raptors were a real destination, a place he could hang his hat and call home. That maybe, just maybe, he could lift a title with this team.

Ujiri bet on the Raptors being a winner and a true contender with Kawhi at the helm. So far, so good then. Leonard has raised the ceiling of the Raptors beyond belief, and his inclusion makes Toronto a real contender come the postseason, no matter who they match-up with.

Leonard recorded his 16th and 17th games with above 30-points this season this week, with 32 points against the Rockets and a further 33 against Dallas, and has scored double digits in all 38 games played this season. His value as a scorer goes without question at this point, Leonard can get to his spots with relative ease and hit shots from anywhere on the court. Not many players in the NBA can do that, the ones that can are seen as an elite talent. That’s exactly what Leonard is.

Stock up, Leonard is amazing at that’s all that needs to be said.