Grade the Trade: Raptors pair Paul George with Kawhi to defend title in alternate past

The Toronto Raptors were denied an opportunity to truly defend their 2019 title.

Kawhi Leonard lifted the Larry O’Brian trophy in one hand, the Finals MVP trophy in the other, and just a few weeks later left to join the LA Clippers, teaming up with fellow All-NBA wing Paul George. Together they won just three playoff series in five seasons, and this summer George left to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Raptors still had a deep team even with Leonard and Danny Green leaving that summer (Green joined the Los Angeles Lakers and won another title). Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam led the team to a 53-19 and the second seed in the Eastern Conference, making it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and losing in 7 games to an up-and-coming Boston Celtics team.

Then things fell apart for Toronto, with injuries and a lack of a home in 2020-21 tumbling them into the lottery (and earning them the No. 4 pick they would use on Scottie Barnes). The Raptors haven’t won another playoff series since, and this past season finally broke up the band and embraced the reality that they weren’t going to contend with that group.

What if things had gone differently? What if, instead of losing Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors convinced him to stay by stepping in front of the LA Clippers and trading for Paul George instead? That’s the alternate reality posited by none other than George himself on his eponymously named podcast, "Podcast P with Paul George." In describing his exit from the Clippers, George mentioned that he and Kawhi had very nearly teamed up in Toronto instead of Los Angeles in the summer of 2019.

What if that path not taken was the one that came to pass? What if instead of years of disappointment for both teams, the Raptors had retained Kawhi Leonard, added Paul George, and sought to truly defend their title? Let’s look at what a trade for George would have meant and whether the deal would have been worth it for Toronto to make.