Could the Toronto Raptors swoop in and win the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes? According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the possibility of Leonard heading north of the border exists. Windhorst appeared on Tim and Sid on Sportsnet to discuss the latest chatter surrounding a deal for Leonard, and while the wind blows in a different direction every week, the Raptors seem to be in a good spot right now.
When asked about the rumblings tying Toronto to a Leonard deal, Windhorst replied that they are based in fact.
"It's real. The Raptors are legitimately talking to the Spurs."
– @WindhorstESPN dropped by #TimAndSid, with @SNCaroline and @SNFaizalKhamisa, to confirm the Kawhi to Toronto rumours today. pic.twitter.com/oqQ6kSm1vH
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) July 17, 2018
“It’s real,” Windhorst said. “The Raptors are legitimately talking to the Spurs. There’s only a couple of teams that they can really do a deal with and those teams, right now, aren’t getting traction with the Spurs.”
Windhorst went on to add a few major disclaimers about why this process is taking so long. The first is that San Antonio is dictating everything surrounding a potential Leonard deal, mentioning that this is something new to them and that they’re working “methodically” and without any sort of “deadline.” There’s also the uncertainty surrounding Leonard, both in terms of his health and his commitment to sticking around beyond next season, with Windhorst mentioning that not even the Spurs know exactly how healthy he is right now.
With the Spurs’ reported high asking price, it makes sense that the Raptors might be a little hesitant to give up a number of major pieces without knowing anything about Leonard’s future. Perhaps they won’t be able to get the job done in the end, or perhaps San Antonio will just hold onto Leonard, but the good news for Toronto is that it seems like they’re in as good of a position as anyone to acquire the All-Star forward … for now.
