The NBA offseason has come and gone and teams have a pretty good idea what roster they will have during the upcoming 2018-19 NBA season. One team that made major moves this offseason was the Toronto Raptors.
Soon after the season ended, head coach Dwane Casey was relieved of his head coaching duties. Following that decision from Raptors’ management, Casey was voted the NBA Coach of the Year. It was a bit of a shock, but the Raptors felt that Casey couldn’t get things done when they mattered in the playoffs.
After that move, questions abounded about what the roster could look like this season. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had formed one of the NBA’s most dangerous backcourt duos for a few years, but that wasn’t enough for the Raptors. Masai Ujiri decided to make a monstrous trade.
DeRozan was shipped to the San Antonio Spurs along with Jakob Poeltl for star forward Kawhi Leonard. It was a trade that shook the landscape of the NBA. There have been rumors that Leonard might have no interest in remaining with the Raptors after this season, as he is set to hit free agency, but the Raptors are hoping that they can convince him to stay like the Oklahoma City Thunder did with Paul George.
Looking ahead at the future for the Raptors, what three reasons can be given for why Leonard should choose to stay with the team long-term?
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