I’ve been a little hesitant to post some of the updates out there on the Toronto Raptors’ reported interest in Kawhi Leonard, not because I don’t think it’s legitimate – it very much is, as it would be for any top talent potentially available on the trade market – but because a lot of the smoke was based in speculation and hypotheticals rather than reporters saying “hey, this is what’s happening.” That stuff is still very much of value, especially when it comes from Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, I just kind of think it’s unfair to aggregate their opinions and own speculation, because those things tend to get run with as something other than what they are.
On today’s Lowe Post, though, Lowe and Windhorst got a little more specific in talking about the Leonard market and the Raptors in particular. And it’s certainly interesting.
After a quick aside about the apparent non-specific weirdness of the Raptors’ coaching search, the conversation turns to Leonard and Windhorst offers the following about Toronto:
I think they’re in the driver’s seat for Kawhi because I think the Lakers have given up, the Sixers have given up. And with the Nets, Bulls and Hawks spending their cap space, it makes it harder to assemble a multi-team trade. I think the Raptors are in the driver’s seat.
Lowe then built on that point by saying that despite some waving off the Raptors-Leonard rumors because of the shifting Vegas odds (which were taken as a bit too much evidence), the possibility is very real. Here’s the money Lowe quote:
If you think it’s a joke, you should probably re-calibrate your expectations.
Lowe, by the way, said he’d offer DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam, and a first-round pick, while Windhorst (hilariously) demanded OG Anunoby as the podcast went off the air.
The sense I got in Las Vegas the last week, which Will and I went into on the podcast, was that the Vegas odds were very much a market over-reaction. That said, their interest was and is still very real. This is an MVP-caliber player at his peak. It’s difficult to judge from outside without access to Leonard’s medical information (a big question mark) and without knowing how open his camp might be to at least discussing a future in Toronto (probably easier to ascertain), but with a defined window and the potential assets to get a deal done without stripping the team entirely of depth and their future, the Raptors are one of a small number of teams that make sense for Leonard, even on a perceived rental. There are very real risks, in terms of health and performance and flight risk. It would need to be weighed carefully, especially if the asking price extends past a certain point. Still, players like Leonard hit the market so infrequently, and it’s worth a long discussion.
Colin went into the pros and cons a bit more this morning, and I went deep on the idea with Eric over at The Athletic last week if you want more of my take.
