6 reactions to the Kawhi Leonard news: Raptors HQ staff reacts

Kristian

The saga is finally over. My immediate reaction, like many jaded Raptors fans, was one fuelled by the feeling I had when watching Steve Ballmer laugh it up during the press conference announcing he had poached Kawhi Leonard from Toronto.

I felt vindicated, like justice had been served. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that Leonard would choose to come back to the Raptors. I’ve never faulted him for leaving. In another world, I’m a professional athlete, and I too am going home to play in front of friends and family.

All that matters now is that he gives us whatever is left in the tank. To have Leonard on the court in a Raptors uniform will have an immeasurable impact on Scottie Barnes. Leonard showed players like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby how to win. After witnessing Barnes ascend to a new level in the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the next best thing for the phenom’s development is to play with a true superstar in Leonard.

Julian

I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.

When I first heard the news that Kawhi Leonard was supposedly making his way home, I was concerned that the Aspiration Scandal would stick to him like white on rice, and for better or worse, that has indeed been the case. At the end of the press release came the phrase, “the league will consider further action as appropriate,” and all that says to me is that while Leonard has emerged from the fire relatively unscathed (for a millionaire, what’s $700,000?) this dumpster fire is not quite put out yet.

I’m of the opinion that from both a cultural and basketball standpoint, bringing Leonard aboard now is the right thing to do. One can only dither on the issue for so long. Kawhi seems to want to join the Raptors. The Raptors fans seem to want Kawhi. But, behind the scenes, information is abounding that the not public (and in some cases, nor the media) seems to have access to. Pablo Torre continues to break news about the situation, and until this case is officially deemed closed, I won’t be breathing easy.

Josiah

I was at university the one (glorious) season Kawhi played with the Raptors. More precisely, I was in my dorm room watching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers, during finals week no less, with a paper due at 11:59 p.m. that evening. Kawhi hit the shot. I turned in the paper by email at exactly 11:59… but uploaded it to the course page at midnight, dropping the grade by ⅓ of a letter. Had the shot bounced on the rim fewer than four times, I’d have gotten the full A!

The NBA’s punishment certainly seems to fit the crime, with a cost to the Clippers that matches the precedent of the Joe Smith incident, with a lighter punishment for the player (and thus for Toronto). Los Angeles will appeal, certainly, but there’s no reclaiming championships not won (or close to won) in Kawhi’s tenure. The Raps, now, will get Kawhi back, and everyone will try to avoid thinking about what might have been in Toronto during the years Kawhi forsook the Raptors for the Clippers. This saga should finally end… with the NBA getting my paper grade revised upward.

Noah

I think yesterday’s ruling makes the Kawhi to Toronto situation really interesting. Personally, I’m relieved Kawhi wasn’t suspended or had his contract voided, because that would have completely changed how I viewed the trade. The Clippers being stripped of five first-round picks, a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension for Steve Ballmer shows how seriously the NBA viewed the situation.

Kawhi was fined $700,000 and said he had no knowledge of any salary-cap circumvention, while taking responsibility for lapses within his inner circle. I’m inclined to believe he wasn’t directly involved, but I understand why there are still questions surrounding his role.

With that said, I’m excited about the trade. There’s obviously risk given his age and injury history, but if he’s healthy, I think this is the type of swing Toronto needed. The Raptors have been rebuilding long enough, and bringing back a championship-winning Kawhi gives them a legitimate chance to compete.

Jean Patrick

The wait is finally over; Kawhi is officially a Raptor once again! Considering the buzz that was swirling around regarding the possible rulings, in my view, Kawhi emerges as the clear winner, with the Raptors management being a close second. Never mind the $700,000 fine; for a player who’s been the subject of polarizing views his entire career, Kawhi gets a chance to redeem the public perception of him and his basketball legacy. And what better way could he ask for than to reunite with the team he won with in 2019, which saw him elevate his status as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and, arguably, the best active player at that point in time?

The management, on the other hand, dodged a bullet by not rushing themselves into completing the deal, knowing that had the trade been done then, they would be dealing with the Clippers’ mess right now. Like Leonard, GM Bobby Webster needed this break, as some fans think that his regime as head of basketball operations, so far, has been unremarkable. Masai Ujiri was far from perfect and was said to have failed to build a winning squad with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and Scottie Barnes that could have opened another contention window. Unlike Masai, however, Bobby has yet to win a championship, which, in the eyes of analysts, makes Ujiri the more accomplished executive. For now, Webster’s discernment clearly paid off, as Toronto did not incur any repercussions.

Rebecca

I feel like Kawhi really got away with a slap on the wrist. As someone whose career earnings will surpass 400 million once he completes his current contract, the fine isn’t really much of a punishment. It’s less than 1% of his career earnings. Add that to his lack of suspension (thank goodness for the Raptors’ sake) and he’ll probably forget about the whole ordeal by the time the season starts.

The Clippers were not so lucky. I think their track record came into play here and with how competitive teams can be now with trying to lure talent, they wanted to make an example out of them to prevent things like this from happening in the future. The loss of the draft picks is going to be the thing that affects them the most. I really don’t see a path forward here for them to rebuild at any point in the future, so unless they can outright sign free agents, really the judgement they’ve received is to be a bottom dwelling team for the next decade…