Earlier this week, the NBA wrapped up their investigation involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard circumventing the wage cap utilizing faux endorsement offers.
Which means that in some unspecified time in the future this offseason, the Clippers will be capable of finalize their reported commerce from earlier this summer season, sending Leonard again to the Toronto Raptors in trade for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks.
Leonard rejoining the Raptors will make them an actual power in a much-improved Japanese Convention.
Final season, the Raptors had been one of many shock groups within the NBA. They had been a constant basketball workforce all season and completed because the No. 5 seed within the Japanese Convention. Within the first spherical of the NBA Playoffs, the Raptors had the Cleveland Cavaliers on the ropes, forcing a Recreation 7 during which Jarrett Allen got here up huge and ended Toronto’s season.
However the collection confirmed that the Raptors belonged on the most important stage with one of many higher groups within the East. The Cavs had been 4 wins away from the NBA Finals, and Toronto had them on the ropes in Spherical 1.
Including Leonard into the combination will give the Raptors that championship-level mindset that would’ve made the distinction in opposition to the Cavs. The 35-year-old may not be the identical participant that led the Raptors to an NBA championship in 2019, however he’s nonetheless one of many elite wings in your entire sport.
Ingram missed two of Toronto’s seven video games within the postseason in opposition to the Cavaliers, and the Raptors had been nonetheless on the precipice of taking down Cleveland. Ingram is undoubtedly an amazing participant, however Leonard raises the ceiling to a different degree.
It was an enormous offseason for the Japanese Convention, and the Raptors needs to be grateful that this investigation is wrapped and their commerce can change into official. The Miami Warmth, who had been on the doorstep of the NBA Playoffs by way of the NBA Play-In Event, executed a blockbuster commerce with the Milwaukee Bucks that earned them Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Philadelphia 76ers, who completed because the No. 7 seed, pulled off an enormous commerce for Jaylen Brown earlier than convincing LeBron James to affix in free company.
Antetokounmpo gained a championship with the Bucks. Brown gained a title with the Boston Celtics. And LeBron has 4 rings and is broadly thought to be the best participant of this technology.
That’s a number of championship-level expertise on this new-look East. Toronto including Leonard offers them a seat on the desk, whereas different contending groups just like the Detroit Pistons and Cavaliers had been huge losers this offseason.
The New York Knicks gained a championship in a season that no person noticed them coming. The remainder of the league took that as a sign that the Japanese Convention was huge open. There’s loads of expertise on this new-look convention, however the Raptors including Leonard ought to make them a severe contender to do no less than what they did final yr, if not go a bit of additional.
