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The Toronto Raptors front office is hoping it can build a strong team capable of taking the next step after the franchise’s return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Toronto fans expect nothing less than a team that is capable of competing for a championship and Raptors general manager Bobby Webster hinted at major roster moves after the draft.
One possibility could include a reunion with the player who delivered the franchise’s only championship; Kawhi Leonard.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported Thursday that Toronto has “registered interest in trying to re-acquire the engine of the lone championship team in franchise history should Leonard become truly available.”
Fischer also reported that, outside of the Los Angeles Clippers, the only teams Leonard would consider signing an extension with are the two teams he played for before joining the Clippers: the Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard is entering the final season of his contract at $50.3 million, and if the Clippers do not want to extend him on terms he likes, Toronto is one of only two teams that could acquire him with some confidence that he would stay beyond one season, according to Fischer.
Leonard would immediately become the best half-court shot creator on the roster and would slot into a core with Barnes, Ingram and Murray-Boyles that would be one of the most versatile defensive groups in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors were competitive last season but lacked another elite shot-maker. Leonard, who is coming off the best individual season of his career, could fit that role perfectly.
The 34-year-old remains the most important player in franchise history, leading the Raptors to the 2019 championship and winning Finals MVP. He is a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a seven-time All-NBA selection and one of the best two-way wings of his era. Even at this stage of his career, he would change Toronto’s ceiling if available and healthy.
Any trade would require Toronto to send out significant assets, which will almost certainly include draft assets and perhaps one member of its current core, depending on what the Clippers want back.
It is also worth mentioning that the Clippers are currently being investigated over an alleged salary-cap circumvention involving the franchise and Aspiration. Potential league discipline, if wrongdoing were found, could include fines, lost draft picks, personnel suspensions or even contract-related consequences. All of these could impact trade conversations between the Raptors and the Clippers.
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One possibility could include a reunion with the player who delivered the franchise’s only championship; Kawhi Leonard.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported Thursday that Toronto has “registered interest in trying to re-acquire the engine of the lone championship team in franchise history should Leonard become truly available.”
Fischer also reported that, outside of the Los Angeles Clippers, the only teams Leonard would consider signing an extension with are the two teams he played for before joining the Clippers: the Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard is entering the final season of his contract at $50.3 million, and if the Clippers do not want to extend him on terms he likes, Toronto is one of only two teams that could acquire him with some confidence that he would stay beyond one season, according to Fischer.
Leonard would immediately become the best half-court shot creator on the roster and would slot into a core with Barnes, Ingram and Murray-Boyles that would be one of the most versatile defensive groups in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors were competitive last season but lacked another elite shot-maker. Leonard, who is coming off the best individual season of his career, could fit that role perfectly.
The 34-year-old remains the most important player in franchise history, leading the Raptors to the 2019 championship and winning Finals MVP. He is a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a seven-time All-NBA selection and one of the best two-way wings of his era. Even at this stage of his career, he would change Toronto’s ceiling if available and healthy.
Any trade would require Toronto to send out significant assets, which will almost certainly include draft assets and perhaps one member of its current core, depending on what the Clippers want back.
It is also worth mentioning that the Clippers are currently being investigated over an alleged salary-cap circumvention involving the franchise and Aspiration. Potential league discipline, if wrongdoing were found, could include fines, lost draft picks, personnel suspensions or even contract-related consequences. All of these could impact trade conversations between the Raptors and the Clippers.
Continue reading...
