Almost everyone, whether in the general NBA discussion circles or among the tight-knit Raptors circle, has been following the ongoing Kawhi Leonard trade speculations. Insiders have been coming out left and right with key updates, while others have been giving their thoughts and opinions on a possible Raptors–Kawhi Connection Part Two: Electric Boogaloo.
Speaking from that 2018-19 nostalgia, I would probably be the first to tell you I am all for trying to chase the dream again in what has been a whirlwind seven years since that peak glory. A couple rough years, a wealth of roster changes, and some promising breakthroughs in between. Though, as my Raptors Rapture colleague Chris Lambert just laid out his own piece, perhaps the Raptors are getting a bit too ahead of themselves here in a Kawhi chase that isn't as primed to make them a serious threat like it did years ago.
But to turn the focus back on some of these interpretations to the Kawhi buzz, I bring you insights courtesy of Adam Mares and Marc Stein from the ALL NBA Podcast, where in a recent edition of the show they highlighted the following (YouTube link here).
Raptors bringing back Kawhi Leonard would have all-time NBA surprise label written all over it
Mares first suggested: "Would this be the weirdest reunion, NBA reunion of all time? I mean, Kawhi Leonard won a championship there. The only one in franchise history. He is an all-time Raptor. But nothing ever felt more final than him leaving Toronto. To return there after this Clippers [sic], it would be among the more surprising reunions of my lifetime, I would say, in the NBA."
To which, Stein replied: "Oh, yeah. No question. The way it ended, it would be a shock. But like I said, I think it's already a shock that they're talking, like that's amazing that we're even discussing this. But I feel like we've been discussing it since Thursday because we reported that the Raptors are interested. I think there was some skepticism about that, but they very much are interested."
I have no doubt in my mind that these reports have raised more than a few eyebrows in the NBA atmosphere. After settling down a bit from the call-back to those 2019 feel-good vibes when the initial reports dropped, I certainly questioned why Kawhi Leonard would all of a sudden be motivated to join Toronto's ranks in a vastly different era, rather than simply trying to win championships with the title core on an extension back then.
That time seemed so perfect for the stars to align. but Leonard would obviously have different plans, and the resulting PG–Clippers experiment turned out to be a dud. And I definitely agree with Stein that the mere resurfacing of conversations is already enough to surprise many. Fast forward to Monday afternoon as I write this and the Kawhi reunion has accelerated from being just plausible to perhaps very likely.
In a way, I think I always held a sense of optimism that Kawhi Leonard could return somewhere down the line if things really got that crazy. There was even a super bold proposal to bring Kawhi back that I wrote about several months ago. As I'm sure it was for many other Raptors fans though, it was more or less a pipe dream than anything.
Now, we could just be mere hours away from No. 2 finding his way back to Toronto to the absolute shock of most fans and analysts alike.
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