The Toronto Raptors weren’t even a half-hour into celebrating their championship and already were faced with distractions and questions about their future.
The Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night to capture their first title in franchise history. The moment after the team won, ESPN dropped a story about the Wizards pursuing Masai Ujiri. As if that weren’t enough, NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was asked by ESPN’s Doris Burke about his free agency plans.
"This is what I play basketball for."
Kawhi Leonard claimed his 2nd NBA Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/GWJATYbZJs
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 14, 2019
“I’m about to enjoy this with my teammates and coaches, and I’ll think about that later,” Leonard said in response.
Leonard’s future has been a subject of NBA headlines for over a year. He forced his way out of San Antonio and was acquired by Toronto despite saying he would only be a year-long rental. Toronto gambled anyway and now will put things to the ultimate test: will Leonard actually leave after winning a championship there? If he does, he’s earned the right to, and at least he delivered in the biggest way possible for them.
