The Toronto Raptors sure seem to have a lot riding on the next few months.
In the latest edition of his email newsletter, Marc Stein of the New York Times shared his presumption that a full roster teardown, headlined by a trade of star point guard Kyle Lowry, would follow for Toronto if Kawhi Leonard decides to leave after the season. Stein also says that the Raptors “know that they almost certainly have to win it all” in order to convince Leonard to stay.
Fortunately for Toronto, they currently have the NBA’s second-best record at 27-11, and Leonard is thriving with averages of 26.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season (both career-highs). But without the former Defensive Player of the Year, the Raptors seem to have little hope of future contention — Lowry will turn 33 in March and is currently dealing with a nagging back issue. Meanwhile, core players like Danny Green, Jonas Valanciunas, and Delon Wright can all hit free agency this summer along with Leonard.
Toronto appears to have at least one team in particular to worry about when it comes to re-signing Leonard, so the pressure will be on for the team to seize the opportunity in front of them right now or risk having to start from scratch.
