NBA Free Agency: 5 ways the Leonard-DeRozan trade will change the dynamics of the 2018-19 season
Following a saga that lasted through the majority of the 2017-18 season and this offseason so far, Kawhi Leonard has finally earned a move from the San Antonio Spurs. The disgruntled small forward was misdiagnosed with a quadriceps injury that kept flaring up every now and then, but the Spurs' medical staff were unable to find any evidence of him being unfit - handing him over to a personal team of doctors.
Following further disagreement, a players-only meeting held for the sole purpose of urging Kawhi to stage a comeback and his subsequent refusal, the 2-time Defensive Player of the Year went AWOL from all Spurs-related activities, and actively refused to establish any sort of communication with Popovich or the rest of the San Antonio Spurs' front office, stating through his group a desire to play in Los Angeles for the added exposure it would bring him.
Sure enough, Popovich wasn't about to go and strengthen his single biggest rivals since the start of his NBA career - the Lakers. This meant that Kawhi would have to look elsewhere, and the Raptors came in with the best possible offer for San Antonio.
Let's take a look at how this blockbuster trade - easily the biggest one made this offseason - changes the balance of the league and what it means for a number of affected teams.
#1 The Raptors might be favorites to make the NBA Finals this year
Just take a look at the prospective Raptors' Death lineup next year: Kyle Lowry (top 5 defender at his position), Danny Green (All-Defensive team caliber), Kawhi Leonard (2-time DPOY), OG Anunoby (Kawhi-lite) and Serge Ibaka (still a good defender). Even with a porous defender like DeMar DeRozan taking the floor for 30+ minutes every night, the Raptors were the only team to post top-5 finishes in both offensive and defensive efficiency last season.
They just received the best duo of wing defenders in the entire league - the Spurs finished with top-5 defensive efficiency rating every year when the duo started together from 2011 to 2017. The ability to switch everything in defense is a prerequisite to beating the Warriors, as the Houston Rockets demonstrated in the Western Conference Finals.
These moves push the Raptors right over the edge as a defensive team capable of making it out through the Eastern Conference. The Celtics may have more talented players than the Raptors in number, but Kawhi is the best player on either team and could be a real difference-maker on both sides of the ball in a prospective matchup.