Kawhi Leonard’s decision to return to the Toronto Raptors via trade from the Los Angeles Clippers was motivated by a personal reason.
The Raptors and Clippers agreed on a Kawhi Leonard trade in June, but had to wait till mid-September to complete the trade after the NBA’s punishment on the Clippers for cap circumvention.
Leonard spent one season with the Raptors in 2018-19, winning the NBA Championship before leaving for the Clippers. Now, he’s back to see that chapter out, albeit seven years later.
Kawhi Leonard wanted to rejoin the Raptors for his son
Leonard’s son was born in April 2019, months before Kawhi led the Raptors to the NBA Championship and moved to the Clippers. Now, he’s revealed that the reason to return to Toronto was also to show his son his birthplace rather than tell him stories about it.
“I’m not really championship-chasing, trying to find the best team I could win. I didn’t want to put on a thousand jerseys. My son was born here. He’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back. Now he’s back, he’s able to see it rather than me telling him the great stories.”
Leonard was a beloved figure in Toronto, with the city as a whole trying to convince him to stay when he became a free agent in 2019.
After the NBA’s cap circumvention investigation into the Clippers, it seems that Leonard might have had an offer he couldn’t refuse to join the Clippers that summer.
A lot has happened in the seven years since Leonard’s departure, but he’ll hope to pick up where he left off.
Kawhi Leonard had two contenders chasing his services
Even though Leonard was traded by the team, he ultimately chose the Raptors over two other teams that were also interested in acquiring him.
The first was last year’s No. 1 seed in the East, the Detroit Pistons. The second option was joining the Minnesota Timberwolves on a win-now squad with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.
Both teams provide more immediate routes for title contention, but the Raptors appeal went much deeper than basketball.
It was also the best solution for the Clippers optically, as they sent Leonard to the team that was arguably the most affected by the now-confirmed cap circumvention efforts the Clippers went into to sign and retain Kawhi.
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