Kawhi Leonard Gives Raptors Exactly What They Need in New-Look East

Earlier this week, the NBA wrapped up their investigation involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard circumventing the salary cap using fake endorsement deals.

This means that at some point this offseason, the Clippers will be able to finalize their reported trade from earlier this summer, sending Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks.

Leonard rejoining the Raptors will make them a real force in a much-improved Eastern Conference.

Last season, the Raptors were one of the surprise teams in the NBA. They were a consistent basketball team all season and finished as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Raptors had the Cleveland Cavaliers on the ropes, forcing a Game 7 in which Jarrett Allen came up big and ended Toronto’s season.

But the series showed that the Raptors belonged on the biggest stage with one of the better teams in the East. The Cavs were four wins away from the NBA Finals, and Toronto had them on the ropes in Round 1.

Adding Leonard into the mix will give the Raptors that championship-level mindset that could’ve made the difference against the Cavs. The 35-year-old might not be the same player that led the Raptors to an NBA championship in 2019, but he’s still one of the elite wings in the entire sport.

Ingram missed two of Toronto’s seven games in the postseason against the Cavaliers, and the Raptors were still on the precipice of taking down Cleveland. Ingram is undoubtedly a great player, but Leonard raises the ceiling to another level.

It was a big offseason for the Eastern Conference, and the Raptors should be thankful that this investigation is wrapped and their trade can become official. The Miami Heat, who were on the doorstep of the NBA Playoffs via the NBA Play-In Tournament, executed a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that earned them Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Philadelphia 76ers, who finished as the No. 7 seed, pulled off a huge trade for Jaylen Brown before convincing LeBron James to join in free agency.

Antetokounmpo won a championship with the Bucks. Brown won a title with the Boston Celtics. And LeBron has four rings and is widely regarded as the greatest player of this generation.

That’s a lot of championship-level talent in this new-look East. Toronto adding Leonard gives them a seat at the table, while other contending teams like the Detroit Pistons and Cavaliers were big losers this offseason.

The New York Knicks won a championship in a season that nobody saw them coming. The rest of the league took that as an indication that the Eastern Conference was wide open. There’s plenty of talent in this new-look conference, but the Raptors adding Leonard should make them a serious contender to do at least what they did last year, if not go a little further.