Back in the summer of 2019, Kawhi Leonard had three choices: Sign with the Lakers and form a big three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, sign with the Clippers and build his own team, or re-sign with the Raptors, who had just won the NBA Championship.
It didn’t take very long for Leonard to decide, and it was quickly that he and Paul George packed their bags to join forces in L.A.
In hindsight, though, many find themselves questioning whether he made the right choice to leave the team he had found so much success with. In Toronto, he had already won over the city, franchise, and nation by delivering the franchise its first-ever Championship.
But, according to reports, the 2x Finals MVP elected not to sign, in part, because he didn’t feel like their success was sustainable.
There were obviously other reasons why he chose the Clippers, including and especially his desire to go home, but one of the things Kawhi told the Raptors when he met with them in Toronto last summer, according to a source, was that he didn't think they were good enough to repeat
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) September 16, 2020
That same Raptors team, without Kawhi, fared pretty well this season — earning the second seed in the Conference and taking the Celtics all the way to a Game 7 in the East Semis before finally being eliminated.
With Kawhi, given the NBA’s current landscape, it’s fair to say they would have been favored to win it again.
That is what he left behind.
He may not regret his decision – Kawhi doesn’t strike me as a person that lives with many regrets, and he did get to go play at home, after all – but, if nothing else, now he knows what he left behind in Toronto. They would have been good enough.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) September 16, 2020
The Clippers are obviously mega-talented and this experience should only make them a better team moving forward.
But “The Cyborg” may have actually missed out on another title this year because of his move to Clipper land. I guess the grass really isn’t always greener on the other side.
