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Kawhi Leonard may have left his home team in ruins, but he returns to Toronto as an absolute folk hero. So how did we get here 7 years after Leonard left the Raptors? And is "The Claw" ready to bring another championship north of the border? We've already analyzed the disastrous side of the Clippers in this. So be sure to watch that video, subscribe to this channel, like it, and comment. While the Leonard-era Clippers experienced their own emotional rollercoaster that ended in the hell of salary avoidance, the post-Leonard Raptors lost relevance. The 2019-20 version of the team had a real chance to return to the finals before the COVID shutdown sent teams into the Disney bubble, and it was all downhill from there. There was a
displaced 2020-21 campaign in Tampa Bay, the departure of franchise icon Kyle Lowry, a brief return to the postseason in 2022, followed by a talent drain that saw Toronto lose or trade stars like Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam. In addition, the Raptors parted ways with championship-winning coach Nick Nurse and beloved team president Masai Ujiri. However, general manager Bobby Webster remained, as did franchise stalwarts like Alex McKechnie, the health and performance guru credited with managing Leonard's workload during his triumphant 2018-19 campaign. With new franchise star Scottie Barnes emerging as a force on both ends of the court, the Raptors began to rise from the ashes.
Aided by contributions from players acquired in the Anunoby and Siakam trades, recent draft picks, and the enthusiasm of new coach Darko Rajaković, Barnes made Toronto think about the playoffs again. The trade for All-Star scorer Brandon Ingram was just the push the team needed, as the 2025-26 Raptors ended a four-year playoff drought by winning 46 games and securing the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. A battered version of the team even took the favored Cavaliers to a seventh game in the first- round series, despite a heel injury limiting Ingram's effectiveness and availability. During that series, Barnes became just the fourth player in history to average at least 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds, one steal and one
block in a single postseason. With a minimum of seven games played. So, you can understand Toronto's excitement about the future. It also helped from a team-building perspective that Barnes was under a 25% maximum contract instead of a larger one, and controlled until 2030. But, there was a downside. For those who were really paying attention, the path to containment was quite murky. The Raptors were not your typical young, up-and-coming team. Because the franchise employed too many mediocre veterans on long-term contracts with negative value. That complicated financial landscape suggested that the Raptors would not be able to acquire the type of superstar who would propel them
back into contention. Despite the big step forward last year, Toronto risked getting stuck at the dreaded middle level of the NBA, wasting the roster-building advantages of Barnes' contract. However, unbeknownst to any of us, a lifeline was about to appear. Between trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac and dealing with the then-imminent salary cap evasion investigation, the Clippers seemed ready to turn the page on their failed Leonard experiment. Meanwhile, without the promise of another lucrative extension, Leonard himself was ready for a fresh start. We were, we were too competitive last year. I need pressure or some kind of winning situation.
I want to win. I want to try to win. That's what I learned from the basketball aspect; simply put, I like being in a winning environment. But, in his own words, the future Hall of Famer didn't want to wear a thousand different T-shirts . That left his former teams, Toronto and San Antonio, as his preferred destinations. And with only one year left on his contract, Leonard had everything to gain. Because the teams, understandably, wanted some kind of guarantee that he would be there long-term if they were going to give up important assets for him. Even when fringe contenders like Minnesota and Detroit tested the waters, and even with a star destination like Miami supposedly interested, Leonard made it
known that he would only sign an extension with the Raptors. This raises the question, how long had Leonard been planning his eventual return to the Raptors? When the Clippers played in Toronto in January, Leonard organized a free basketball camp for the Boys&Girls Club, telling attendees that the city where his son was born was still in his heart. He also added the following message, which at the time seemed to be only about charity work, but in retrospect said a lot. We want the Toronto community to do things around the world, in Toronto, in South America, to help young people. So I hope you enjoy it. As I said, this won't be the last. I'll be doing something else around here.
Five months after that cryptic appearance, Leonard was traded back to the Raptors in exchange for Ingram, Gradey Dick, who had fallen out of the team's rotation, two first-round draft picks, a swap of first- round picks and two second-round picks. I did n't think I'd be sitting here for media day, you know, just talking about.you just want to give back to the city. Well, you know, I have friends and family who live here, and we just talked about how I could help the young people. Although the trade was put on hold until the league completed its investigation, which proved devastating for the Clippers and a mere $700,000 slap on the wrist for Leonard, the transaction went ahead as planned, with Kawhi signing a two-
year, $115 million extension shortly thereafter. Just like that, Leonard was back, ready to reclaim his throne as king of the north, even if the 15-year veteran acknowledged that the Raptors are now Barnes' team. What a difference seven years make. Originally, Leonard turned down a championship team for the comforts of home and illicit perks, only to leave Los Angeles as a villain and return to the Raptors as a savior who now sees Toronto as his home. Clearly, distance, time, and scandals make the affection stronger. In stark contrast to the disgruntled and seemingly uncomfortable Leonard who landed in Canada in 2018, when Raptors fans had to sift through minimal content to
understand what Kawhi was thinking, the two- time Finals MVP has appeared beaming in the content he and the team have shared this time around. Now, let's see how Leonard can lead the Raptors to the top once again. We have to acknowledge the obvious risk associated with negotiating for Leonard and paying him about $165 million over his seasons from age 35 to 37. He has averaged only 55.5 games per year since returning from a knee injury that ended his entire 2021-22 season. He has not appeared in a conference finals game since 2019, and federal prosecutors have reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the Clippers' dealings to circumvent the salary cap with him. But again,
given the Raptors' situation and how unlikely it seemed that they could acquire a player of Leonard's caliber, the trade was ultimately an obvious decision. In the end, Toronto landed Kawhi while getting rid of one of those onerous contracts mentioned and retaining five first-round draft picks. Essentially, the Raptors turned one or two years of Ingram into two or three years of Leonard without trading any of their top prospects. What has been lost amid this seemingly endless trail of evidence of salary cap avoidance and Leonard's equally long injury history is that he still has his talent. Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game with 62.9%
true shooting accuracy last season while playing 65 games. He earned his seventh All-Star and All-NBA selections and was one of only eight players to receive MVP votes. By virtually any criteria, Leonard remains a top-10 player. And for an extended period midway through last season, he looked like the best player in the league. That's the kind of superstar Toronto adds to a 46-win team that didn't lose any of its five most-used players in that seven-game series against Cleveland. With all due respect to Ingram, who had a rebound season and helped the Raptors solve some of their offensive problems, especially in the half-court game, Leonard simply operates in another stratosphere. He
is an even better mid-range scorer, a superior and more willing three-point shooter, and a more efficient offensive player overall. Not to mention that Leonard remains a game-changing defender, even if he's no longer a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. And yet, he won't even be the best defensive player on Toronto's front line, with Barnes and sophomore Colin Murray-Boyles both capable of carrying that torch for years to come. The potential of the trio on that side of the court should terrify the rest of the league, as what was already a top- tier defense is now improved from Ingram to Leonard. To give you an idea of just how massive the improvement is, consider that Leonard finished fifth in
Basketball-Reference's replacement player value metric last season, while Ingram finished 71st. Among the 279 players who logged at least 1,000 minutes, Leonard's on/off differential ranked fourth according to Cleaning the Glass. Ingram's contract was picked 271st. The fact that the Raptors acquired a player of Leonard's caliber without trading young players like Murray-Boyles, Jacobi Walter, Jamal Shed, and recent draft pick Allan Graves was worth the draft capital and the cost of Leonard's extension. Even high-cost veterans seem to fit better with Leonard on the team. R.J. Barrett, who is also eligible for an extension, will be a crucial off-ball player, a transition threat, and a relief valve for Leonard and Barnes. While
Barrett's defensive shortcomings will be better hidden, starting point guard Immanuel Quickley, a solid and well -rounded player last season, can now act as a caretaker and shooter instead of having to justify his contract with a bigger role. Quickley's job should be easier, especially if Barnes can reach the heights he had last spring as a point guard/small forward. The $104 million still owed to center Jakob Poeltl, who was hampered by back problems last season, remains a problem. But the Raptors no longer have to worry that contract will hinder their ability to pair Barnes with another star. They've landed that big fish and are still deep enough to survive stretches of the regular season without Leonard. An
improved Eastern Conference threatened to leave the Raptors behind. Instead, Leonard offers a path to the kind of genuine containment that this core did not otherwise seem capable of. It's a surprising change, and one that should further solidify Leonard's legacy north of the border. The prodigal son has returned and, just like the last time Toronto acquired him, Leonard seems like the perfect piece at the right time to take the Raptors to the top.
