No team goes out to push for a significant star trade unless they have some form of clear vision of being firmly in a competitive bracket. And it looks like Toronto are looking to their past in order to achieve such a feat, as Kawhi Leonard rumors have been at the forefront of Raptors headlines.
There are many angles, layers, and storylines to this hot-topic rumor, but aside from dissecting the potential packages and trade chips going out in such a deal, we should probably try to understand where the Raptors' rationale likely lies in their chase to bring back Kawhi.
Raptors' rumored Kawhi pursuit could boost their spot in the wide-open East behind the Knicks
Of course, the Miami Heat already went for their big swing of the summer, finally putting an end to the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga by acquiring him in a blockbuster deal. Sure, Miami went all-in on the Greek Freak, but many NBA analysts (like Brian Windhorst of ESPN) remain a bit hesitant of their real title prospects or even just matching up against the champion Knicks.
Likewise, the Boston Celtics are yet another East team with uncertain future prospects. Who knows what's going on with Jaylen Brown? The Cavs and Pistons were right there on the cusp of a title run, but things just didn't go right for one reason or another. Or the situation in Charlotte where they've hit a huge cultural reset, moving on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, while adding some quality role players to their ranks.
The same thing could be said for Atlanta and Orlando, both up-and-coming squads looking to gain respect as viable contenders, but perhaps still a few steps behind standing toe-to-toe with the Knicks. Not to mention, the mixed-bag (but unproven) Wizards, the hopefully revitalized Pacers, and the always massive question mark 76ers.
Many of these teams look potentially threatening on-paper (and I've certainly been one to catch that vibe), but I don't know if there is one who particularly stands out as being neck-and-neck with New York to come out of the East. So, between the reigning king Knicks and the rest — the race is on for all those optimistic squads to narrow that gap.
Why wouldn't Toronto want to get in on the action, then? Kawhi Leonard might not be everyone's ideal cup of tea on the list of potential offseason swings, but you can't deny that even into his late age and years of uncertainty, he's still up there as a massive swing with key playoff implications.
New York is going to undoubtedly be a tall order for anyone in the East to overcome, but the Raptors just showed they were good enough to be in the playoffs, and all it could take to make that next leap is finding that extra edge. A playoff riser like Kawhi Leonard seems to fit that bill just fine.
Though, it probably won't be so simple to just swing that deal and the Raptors are fool-proof, but to capitalize on a East landscape full of parity is perhaps the only logical direction Toronto should lean into this summer.
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