74 reasons why Kawhi Leonard is staying with the Toronto Raptors

40. Toronto “Gets” Him

Kawhi is the NBA’s most enigmatic superstar and that’s a great thing. But while many outside Toronto would ignore him or find him strange, the city embraced him as one of their own. Toronto is an eclectic city where the uncanny are not just accepted but celebrated. This is where Kawhi Leonard belongs.

39. Los Angeles Will Be Too Distracting

Hollywood is in L.A. for a reason. Many prolific sports media are also here including Fox Sports’s The Herd and Undisputed, hence why so many of them are in favour of Kawhi coming to L.A. The proximity would allow them to drum up more controversy about Leonard if they see fit.

Kawhi will be more scrutinized in a media spectacle, but not in a good way. Playing close to the family can also be distracting.

38. “Just Another Superstar in L.A.”

But as scrutinized as Leonard will be in L.A., he will also be sharing the spotlight with other superstars, most notably LeBron James. Whereas Kawhi will be the guy in Toronto (and Canada), he would just be “another superstar”. He could even be the 1B to LeBron’s 1A. And that’s because he’s playing with the…

37. Clippers: The “B Team” of L.A.

It doesn’t matter if the Clippers become a better team than the Lakers. They will always be L.A.’s second choice. Even when the Clippers were “Lob City”, they were more known for their injuries and playoff failures.

36. The Clippers are Cursed

Name a superstar, or anyone close to being an MVP-calibre player that played for the Clippers that didn’t incur some type of misfortune or injury. Chris Paul? Blake Griffin? Elton Brand? Danny Manning? Not to mention being one of only two teams with no conference finals appearances and the longest streak of not making the postseason. The list goes on.

Perhaps you could call the Raptors cursed prior to Kawhi coming to town. If so, he’s already defeated one curse here. Does he really want to take on another one?

35. Build a Bigger and Better Kawhi Leonard Brand

Canada is nowhere near the size of America in terms of its economy. But Kawhi has a solid shot to land more endorsement deals as Canadian giants like Tim Hortons, Magna International, and the Toronto-based financial and insurance companies take notice of him.

34. Continue to Be a Trendsetter

Masai Ujiri, Nick Nurse, and Bobby Webster all took big risks and innovated with the Raptors. The result? The Raptors solved the Golden State Warriors, shut down the top offense in the Milwaukee Bucks, and won an NBA title without a lottery pick. From the trades to the defensive schemes to “load management”, the Raptors showed a new brand of basketball that made everyone notice.

33. Load Management

Kawhi played his best basketball in the playoffs thanks to being kept fresh during the regular season. “Load Management” will now be something more teams will incorporate. Paired with physiotherapist wiz Alex McKechnie, maybe the Raptors find more revolutionary ways to maximize Kawhi’s, and the rest of the team’s, physical primacy.

32. There is More Stability (Short-Term) with the Raptors

Unlike the Clippers who have a ton of moving pieces and no notable core, the Raptors already have one – a championship-winning one. Kawhi is already familiar with the team, and if he asks, they can run back the exact same squad next season.

31. The King of the North

What is the mayor of a city to the leader of a nation? Kawhi Leonard is Canada’s very own basketball king. Wherever he goes, Canadian fans are sure to follow. The Raptors parade grew to upwards of 1.5 million thanks to fans from coast-to-coast flying. From Vancouver to Halifax, Canada loves Kawhi.

30. Raptors Fans are the Best in the NBA

Raptors fans are raucous, rambunctious, and relentless. Raptors Nation created Jurassic Park and mini-versions of it around the country. A game in the Scotiabank Arena is like the March Madness. The Raptors fanbase is unlike any other in the NBA.

Sure, there were many bad apples like the ones who cheered when Durant got hurt or the ones who started fights or the ones who trashed police vehicles. But there were no preliminary arrests during the Raptors’ championship moments. No riots. No foul play.

Kawhi won’t find this level of respect and rabidness in any other fanbase. Particularly the Clippers, who have approximately four die-hard fans.

29. An Easier Path to the NBA Finals

The East is not a chump conference, but it isn’t a gauntlet like the West either. With LeBron and Anthony Davis creating the new super team with the Lakers, does Leonard really want that smoke? Playing in the East, Kawhi only has the Bucks and the Sixers to tangle with (if they even stay intact). There’s a reason LeBron made eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances.

28. The East Gets Weaker

Speaking of staying intact, the Raptors’ top competition could be missing critical pieces this coming season. The Bucks could lose Khris Middleton, their second-best player. The Sixers may not be able to re-sign both Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler. And the Celtics… at least they still have Jayson Tatum.

27. Free Luxury Condo

Kawhi Leonard is going to get a free penthouse valued up to $4.7 million CAD courtesy of Simon Mass, CEO of the Condo Store if he stays in Toronto. Come on!

26. Drake

Love him or hate him, Drake is an icon. Toronto’s most prolific hip-hop artist consistently generates buzz for the team. No publicity is bad publicity.

But other than being an extreme fan, Drake is an actual member of the team. He is the official hype man of the Raptors, no kidding! And his connections in the world of entertainment would prove invaluable for Kawhi.