The existential drama that is Kawhi Leonard has become more of a suspense thriller. And the Toronto Raptors now know where they stand with Leonard.
In a last minute, push-your-chips-to-the-middle-of-the-table poker move, the Clippers won the Leonard sweepstakes. And by doing so, they compromised the next decade of the franchise.
I have written extensively about the foolish pursuit of NBA superstars. And the Leonard situation is yet another example of NBA franchises choosing brand over logic.
In order to “win” Leonard’s services, the Clippers gave up a historically unprecedented package of extremely valuable first round draft picks. It’s similar to the bounty New Orleans received in the Anthony Davis trade. Oddly, the picks (along with promising young PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran Danilo Gallinari) were used to pacify Leonard’s need for a second star. It then forced the Clippers to trade for Paul George.
The logic is simple: Obtain superstars at ANY cost, figure out the rest later.
Breaking Down The Loss Of Leonard From Raptors Perspective
From the Toronto Raptors perspective, I am much more comfortable losing Leonard. But retaining draft capital, salary cap flexibility and player depth for the next 10 years is huge. The Raptors famously won the championship this past season, despite having ANY lottery picks on the entire roster.
This fact SHOULD signal to the NBA that roster construction built on depth and salary cap pragmatism is the effective way to build a winner in a salary cap era. Instead, failing franchises like the Lakers and Clippers double down on an old, misguided NBA philosophy: Screw the team, get STARS!!!!
It’s utterly ridiculous to put your franchise at such risk for such an uncertain outcome. While the Raptors will miss Leonard’s presence, let’s not forget the team was 17-5 without him during the regular season.
Lost in the madness of the hype was the fact that we clinched the championship in a game where he was the THIRD-leading scorer on the team. That wasn’t a fluke, it underlines the TEAM nature of our philosophy.
Why An Instant Championship Recipe Doesn’t Always Work?
There are many examples in NBA history of misguided attempts to package NBA superstars as a quick-fix, instant championship recipe: Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Deron Williams and Kevin Garnett to the Nets, etc.
Over and over again in NBA history, desperate teams bet the farm to try and win it all. What have the bloated contracts of Chris Paul and James Harden accomplished in Houston? How about John Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington?
A dangerous precedent has been set in the NBA the last month. If you want to play with the “big boys”, be prepared to risk the next decade of your franchise.
The risk is very high. The Raptors won with the opposite strategy. Risk NOTHING, build up a winning culture SLOWLY, maintain salary cap flexibility, add cost effective pieces to build up assets. Then package assets for difference-makers when the timing is right.
In a salary cap era, there is inherent risk simply by paying a “superstar” disproportionately – relative to the rest of the team. Throw in the contemporary cost of acquiring said superstar (a bounty of draft picks and young players), and I am going on record as saying both the Clippers and Lakers will regret these acquisitions for a very, very long time.
With Leonard Leaving, Raptors Maintain Flexibility
The Raptors maintain our salary cap flexibility, retain all our young assets, retain our draft capital and appear relatively in a similar position to make the Finals as the Clippers and Lakers moving forward. The loaded West continues to mortgage their futures in a desperate attempt to steal the spotlight from each other.
Perhaps they would be well-advised to understand that the spotlight shifts quite quickly in the social media age – where the news cycle gets shorter and shorter every passing day. The Clippers may have won the headlines today, but they’re going to regret the vulnerable position of the franchise for the next decade.
And I haven’t even mentioned the “I” word yet: injuries. The unfortunate corollary of putting all of your eggs in one (or two) baskets is the fact that if one egg breaks, the yolk drowns the entire batch. Remember when the Lakers “won” the off-season last year by securing LeBron James? He got an untimely groin injury, and the franchise missed the playoffs. Now the strategy is to give up many many years of first round draft picks to get TWO stars? Utter madness.
Side Note: Wrap Up
As a side note, the Raptors also lost Danny Green. He cashed in on his Raptors rebirth to make $30 million for two years. Yet another contract the Lakers will regret. Green completely disappeared in the playoffs, and will be easily replaced by third year 3 and D wing, OG Anunoby.
The Raptors have this thing called “depth”.
And they didn’t have to risk the next 10 years of the franchise in order to get it. Instead, the Raptors employ an enviable combination of disciplined management, prudent finances, effective coaching, roster depth and team philosophy. It’s a smarter place to be, and more effective.
The weather may be warmer in Los Angeles, but watch out for those earthquakes.
Those billboards don’t tell you everything.
