The Kawhi Leonard trade saga was complicated, but the Toronto Raptors were willing to deal with that, because at the end of the day, they’d get their superstar back.
Years have passed, but the championship that Leonard and the Raptors won together will always be a legendary season in Toronto.
This time around, though, it wasn’t a given that the Raptors would end up with Leonard, and not just because of the off-court dealings. There was also another Eastern Conference team that wanted Leonard, and it would’ve been in a deal that greatly impacted the balance of power in the East.
Another Team Wanted Kawhi Leonard
A report from ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill on Tuesday morning indicates that the Detroit Pistons wanted to trade for Leonard this offseason.
This is how Goodwill explained it:
“(Jalen) Duren’s postseason performance exposed the oversized weight MVP candidate Cade Cunningham carried, as the guard had nine games of five turnovers or more, illustrating the need for another premier shot creator. The Pistons inquired about trading for Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant this offseason, according to league sources, and were positioned to offer Austin Reaves a big free agent contract if the Los Angeles Lakers opened the door. None of that materialized. The Pistons had heard Leonard wasn’t interested in coming to Detroit amid the Clippers’ cap-circumvention scandal, per league sources, and the Rockets weren’t willing to engage on Durant despite the close relationship he shares with Cunningham. As for Reaves, once the Lakers blew him away with a max contract offer, he wasn’t going anywhere — he’d already turned down being drafted by Detroit under the Troy Weaver era to go the undrafted route and sign with the Lakers a few years ago.”
That was all written in the context of the Pistons potentially trading Jalen Duren away in the offseason. The assumption is that they might have traded Duren in a deal for Leonard, if the Los Angeles Clippers were interested.
It appears, though, that the Clippers didn’t want Duren, and they eventually preferred the Raptors’ offer.
Given that the Pistons were the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed last season, it certainly would’ve been imposing if they had acquired Leonard, too.
Kawhi Leonard Trade
The Raptors traded a haul to bring Leonard back from the Clippers.
Going to Los Angeles were Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033), a 2027 first-round pick swap and two future second-round picks.
Leonard is past his prime, but he remains a premium NBA player. The Raptors will need Leonard to be at the top of his game to contend with the East’s best teams — like the Pistons team that had hoped to get Leonard instead.
Before Raptors Traded for Kawhi Leonard, East Rival Wanted Star From Clippers