Toronto Raptors
Although Leonard decided not to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, he still led them to their first NBA championship. As a result, he enjoys sort of a mythological status North of the Border. Keeping that in mind, a return to the Raptors is pretty feasible. Not only is he a player who’s proven he can help deliver a championship to the franchise, he fits a need.
Just consider, for years the Raptors have been open to trading RJ Barrett. This isn’t because he’s played below expectations. In fact, he’s performed above them. However, after Toronto acquired Brandon Ingram and moving him ahead of Barrett in the pecking order, his skill set became a dual-edged sword. On the positive side, he’s a volume scorer that can create for himself and others. Yet, because of his subpar 3-ball, he negatively impacts Toronto’s floor balance. At the other end, Barrett isn’t a true liability but he isn’t particularly adept at the point-of-attack either.
On paper, Leonard is almost the perfect player to swap Barrett for, his injury history the only real concern.
