The Toronto Raptors would love to trade for Kawhi Leonard. Even if they don't, however, they can still take full advantage of a Kawhi blockbuster trade by landing an upgrade at point guard and a capable co-star for Scottie Barnes.
In the midst of a flurry of activity and rumors on top of the NBA Draft this week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that Kawhi Leonard would be open to signing a contract extension with his two former teams, the Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs.
Kawhi Leonard is on the market
That is a bombshell report, as Leonard was one of the 10 best players in the league last season. He is scoring at career-best levels, hyper efficient, and remains a stout defender even as he turns 35 this week. If he is directing himself toward two teams, both should be working hard to land him even with his injury issues.
The Raptors may be able to work out a deal with the Clippers to bring back the 2019 Finals MVP, although it will certainly be expensive and he is not the cleanest fit with incumbent star Scottie Barnes. His talent level and impact is great enough to stomach the duplicative fit and go for it.
If Toronto doesn't trade for Leonard, however, they can still benefit in a massive way from a Kawhi trade. If the San Antonio Spurs trade for their former star (and 2014 Finals MVP) they will likely wish to include De'Aaron Fox in the trade. And that is where Toronto comes in.
The Raptors would want De'Aaron Fox
The LA Clippers likely won't want Fox; he is on a max contract for the next four seasons and plays the same position as their incumbent young star, Darius Garland. They would want to redirect him to a third team, but so many teams in the NBA either have a solution at point guard or cannot stomach the financial commitment of annual salaries in the $50 million range for the next four seasons.
Toronto, however, is looking for both an upgrade at point guard and a capable offensive star to pair with Barnes. Ideally, such a player would check both boxes; that is why they went after LaMelo Ball this past week before the Minnesota Timberwolves won the negotiations. Having a shot creator and playmaker who plays in different places on the court than Barnes would be ideal.
Enter De'Aaron Fox. While he certainly fell short in the NBA Finals, he was also nursing a high ankle sprain and palying against a truly elite collection of perimeter defenders. He also started for a team that reached the NBA Finals, combining speed, rim pressure and a tight handle. Fox is not a consistent 3-point shooter, but he is defended there and has a wicked pull-up jumper inside of the arc.
Toronto can pull off a win-win trade
Because of the contract that Fox carries, his value has been diminished around the league. It is not unreasonable to think that the Spurs would incentivize Toronto to take him on -- or at least offer a place to move off of the contract of Jakob Poeltl in the deal.
For example, trading Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and Gradey Dick to the Clippers and receiving Fox and Brook Lopez would be a home run for the Raptors, even with Fox's large contract. They get off of overpays for Poeltl and Quickley and land a stretch-big to help with their spacing issues.
There would be more negotiation that would need to happen from all three teams, but that kind of trade would be ideal for the Raptors. Trading for Kawhi Leonard would be great, but even if they don't, an opportunity has arisen.
The pathway to a second star is being paved before them.
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