The trade that will send Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors and Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and several draft picks to the Clippers is officially back on. After the Raptors paused the deal to await the NBA’s ruling in the Clippers’ salary cap circumvention scandal, the two teams reportedly agreed to go through with it on Monday.
The next big step for the Raptors is to extend Leonard. After all, they don’t want to give up two players and five picks for a one-season rental when a championship is not right at their fingertips like it was in 2018. Leonard’s extension won’t be cheap and while it eliminates the risk of him just walking away in free agency for a second time, it comes with another risk: the extension could quickly look like a costly mistake.
“The risk that the Raptors are taking with Kawhi has nothing to do with this entire investigation,” Tim MacMahon said on the September 15 episode of ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective. “It’s just Kawhi Leonard with his durability issues in his mid-thirties, and you’re about to give him a fat extension. How is that going to age?”
The extension could age beautifully if Leonard stays healthy for at least two seasons, elevates the Raptors to contender status in the Eastern Conference, and helps get the best out of Scottie Barnes as he enters his prime. However, there is also a pretty good chance that it ages badly. Leonard has only played more than 57 games twice since leaving Toronto in 2019. He may never be available enough to take the Raptors to the next level, leaving them with little to no playoff success and few opportunities to improve the roster due to their tough financial situation.
It’s still a risk worth taking
The Raptors were close to upsetting the Cavaliers in the first round with Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram sidelined. That series showed that they could be a really dangerous team in the Eastern Conference with the right additions. The ideal addition would be a superstar who can elevate the offense without jeopardizing the team’s defensive identity. Leonard is one of the few players who fit that mould.
Moreover, the rest of the Eastern Conference is either already good or getting better. The Pacers will have Tyrese Haliburton back from injury; Jayson Tatum will be healthier for the Celtics; the Heat got Giannis Antetokounmpo; and the 76ers added Jaylen Brown and LeBron James.
Not making a big swing would have meant that the Raptors were likely to fall behind. Trading for Leonard at least gives them a shot to compete with the best teams in the NBA.
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