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Do you know what's crazy? I do not remember the voice of Kawhi Leonard. I'm not sure if I ever knew what it was like. He is the quietest superstar in a noisy NBA, and for years it was refreshing. Then he embarked on the longest, most bizarre and riskiest power play of the year, which blew shock waves through a league used to soap operas. And he played his main role in silence and out of sight. The disturbance has never been so undetectable. No other riddle would want to face him one-on-one.
Leonard wants to play in Los Angeles, his hometown. Wednesday, after months of drama, he managed to force a trade in San Antonio. But to his great disappointment, he forced a trade out of this country. The Spurs offered him, as well as to Danny Green, Toronto star DeMar DeRozan, the great Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick of 2019. Leonard will have to wait a year, until that day. that he'll become a free agent next summer, to play in Los Angeles Or maybe he'll be like Paul George and fall in love with his new team, who could very well win the LeBron Conference -less if Leonard returns from his mysterious and annoying quadriceps injury and plays again at the MVP-caliber level.
[In trading for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are sending a loud message]
Who knows what Leonard wants? Are we even certain that he's not locked in a room somewhere trying to decipher an episode of "Westworld" while members of his "camp" orchestrate this madness? As he won a championship and became famous in San Antonio, Leonard seemed to be the ideal place to be different and dominant. He was a Tim Duncan of the next generation and perimeter-oriented. And then he changed. Or maybe it's revealed and the real life of the NBA has finally caught up with the epic tale of the Spurs: consistency, peace and superstar.
After seven seasons, two all-star and two defensive players of the year, the Leonard, 27, leaves San Antonio in the prime of his life. His departure casts uncertainty over the Spurs' elite status for the first time in nearly two decades. Even though San Antonio has two NBA artists in DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, the franchise has changed. Neither DeRozan nor Aldridge is a real anchor superstar. Leonard is. Duncan was before him and David Robinson before him
. If you return to Robinson's rookie season in 1989-90, the Spurs have made the playoffs a remarkable 28 times in 29 years. The only season they were absent: 1996-97, when Robinson played in just six games because of the injury, which paved the way for San Antonio to draft Duncan's No. 1 overall and create the double-turn partnership who built a dynasty of five championships. Leonard could have extended this tradition. With him and coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs were always on the verge of lifting a Larry O 'Brien trophy, even at the time of Golden State's glory. Instead, Leonard may be the one who broke the Spurs. If nothing else, he has standardized them. The way of the Spurs does not make everyone bewitched.
Despite all the murmurings of discontent, despite rumors that Leonardo would lose confidence in San Antonio medical staff and throughout the reception, many thought, until recently, to be a reconciliation. A year ago, Popovich had managed to repair his tense relationship with Aldridge, which had led to one of the best power forward seasons. So the idea was that Leonard and Popovich, who have a longer and more successful story, could meet and fix things. Leonard had the opportunity of a supermax extension offer – which could have paid him $ 219 million on a five year contract – as an incentive to play nice and stay. The deadlock still has not been resolved. There was too much damage, too many communication problems and too many injuries. Leonard also had too many people talking for him, including Dennis Robertson, his uncle and business manager.
[Kawhi Leonard might not want to play for the Raptors, but he might not have a choice]
This is a fight that ends without a winner. No one can claim victory and ignore the pain. Well, Toronto could if Leonard raises the Raptors in the final and the general manager Masai Ujiri – who is both charming and competent – convinces Leonard to sign a long-term extension. Otherwise, it's a unique situation for the Raptors, but even then, it's an interesting bet. It all depends on how you see DeRozan. I watch it, as many do, as a great scorer and entertainer with limits. Yes, he was a selection of the all-NBA second team last season. And he was a third member of the team in 2016-17. But can you win a championship with DeRozan as a leading dog? And he still has three seasons for a $ 139 million contract over five years
. After LeBron James and Cleveland swept through Toronto last spring, calls were made to disperse the Raptors. They fired Dwane Casey, who won 59 games and was named coach of the year. Ujiri was boxing him mostly because he felt that he had to do something, and the Raptors could not easily change the team because they had a limited payroll, with four players who were earning between $ 16.5 and $ 31 million and a big impending luxury tax bill. So, this Leonard-DeRozan deal is both a gamble, and if it does not work, a potential pay dump that allows the Raptors to clear the lineup by 2020. It puts them in able to have tons of ceiling this summer or wait a year and chase free agents such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2021 they prefer flexibility on supermax extensions. Or, Toronto offers a range of options for now and later, which is better than being forced to watch a team die that is not good.
But the Spurs are looking at a lower ceiling than they had in years. And Leonard must recover from not being able to make his way straight to Los Angeles. Because he played only nine games last year, Leonard has a lot to prove in the final season of his current contract. Is he still the best bi-directional player in the game? Has the quad problem decreased its agility? Can it work the same way outside the system of a Spurs who has contributed to its growth and then adapted to it perfectly?
The badumption is that Leonard will come back to be himself. But that's the thing. During this long battle, the very essence of Leonard was questioned. He may not want to play in Toronto, but he has to take advantage of this season. The puzzle has a reputation to recover, although we never really know it.
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