Raptors Rumors: Paul George Was OK with Toronto Trade If Kawhi Leonard Re-Signed
Had Kawhi Leonard re-signed with the Toronto Raptors, Paul George was reportedly willing to go to Toronto in a trade.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Leonard handpicked George as the star he wanted to play alongside, and George was open to joining forces with Kawhi even if it wasn't with the Clippers.
Per Wojnarowski, the Clippers acquired George for guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Danilo Gallinari and five first-round draft picks and then signed Leonard to a four-year, $141 million deal. The Clippers reportedly did it, in part, to prevent the Lakers from adding Leonard to their core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Wojnarowski also reported that the Thunder offered Toronto both George and guard Russell Westbrook, but the Raptors didn't have the necessary assets to make a deal, even with forward Pascal Siakam included.
While trading last season's Most Improved Player and a potential All-Star in Siakam would have been a tough pill to swallow for Raptors president Masai Ujiri, a "Big Three" of Leonard, George and Westbrook likely would have made Toronto the favorite to repeat as NBA champion.
The combination of George and Westbrook didn't produce anything better than a first-round playoff exit in two seasons together with the Thunder, but things may have been different with Kawhi leading the way in Toronto.
Instead, the Raptors are left with Leonard's supporting cast and no superstar to speak of. A core of Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet is solid and capable of making the second round of the playoffs, but Toronto is no longer a championship contender.
With teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics jockeying for position at the top of the Eastern Conference, Toronto may be nothing more than a mid-tier team.
Meanwhile, Leonard and George will join a Clippers team that carries over guards Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley, as well as forward Montrezl Harrell. Even without a superstar last season, the Clippers made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and pushed the Golden State Warriors to six games in the first round.
In L.A., both Leonard and George will have a chance to play close to home. Kawhi is a Riverside, California, native, while George is from Palmdale, California.
It has long been assumed that Leonard wanted to play in Los Angeles, which put Toronto at a disadvantage. There was some thought that winning a championship may have tipped the scales in the Raptors' favor, but they couldn't offer Kawhi the chance to play with another superstar without making an aggressive trade.
Keeping Siakam may prove to be the best move for Toronto in the future, but it likely ensured that the Raptors will not be title contenders next season at the very least.
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