Did Kawhi Leonard Make a Mistake Leaving the Toronto Raptors? 

It’s sad how little he cared or liked Toronto. Seeing that town go crazy for him knowing he was going to leave was sad to watch. Kawai does kawai. There’s no rhyme or reason to his thought. He just wants what he wants.

Looks like he went home to retire on the Clippers’ payroll, so he did the Raptors a huge favour. However, the Raps would have won a 2nd title if he stayed 1 more yr.

A three-peat was not far-fetched if he stayed with Toronto. 2019, 2020 bubble & 2021. This is one if not the biggest 'what ifs' in NBA history imo.

They could’ve been a dynasty

RAPTORS had finally found the right pieces to be an NBA CHAMPION after so many frustrating years. The players were all peaking at the right time with a great coach. "Momentum" was clearly on their side. Other teams fear their veteran and supporting lineup . Back to Back Championship was a very real possibility. Too bad, Kawhi let it pass with so many adoring fans let down with his suspenseful and final decision to leave TORONTO.😢

No. He checked out of basketball once he signed with Clippers 🤷‍♂️

I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to come back!!!

When you win it; I think you have to try and defend it at least once.

I believe he did. His legs weren't giving him so much trouble & he had all the weapons in that team & a few more years wouldn't have been so long to wait. Instead he reportedly didn't like the city & signed with the highest bidder in the city he wanted. Pity, real pity.

The mistake he made was going to the Clippers. I mean who does that??

Him going "home" hopefully was worth it how he just shat on his legacy with all these controversies

They definitely could have taken 2020. I'm not conviced about 2021. He knows he didn't make the smart decision. I don't feel bad for him or the Clippers.

He was a fool to leave! It was his wife who wanted to be around her family I think. He won't win another chip. He just won't.

As a Raptors Fan I wish he would have stayed with the Raptors even if the Raptors didn't win another title him leaving to go home to the clippers was a mistake he was load managed so many times and got injured very hard to see and take

kwahi is very much influenced by his uncle dennis. this guy is toxic. even if he stayed with raptors he wanted control and he started with demanding to get pg13 if they wanted to keep him. soon as he started to make these requests masai saw that uncle dennis is a real pain to deal with. the reason raptors won the chip was because kawahi had no control and do what the team told him to do for that one year. lot had to go right and it did. him staying would have added a lot of extra baggage and giving power to him and uncle dennis. i think masai did the right thing by not giving in. pascal has sucked and didnt run with the leadership role. he was terrible against boston. i just cant forget that series. they should have won that if nick nurse would have just played the bench players and sat pascal or cut his minutes. he didnt do that and it cost us that season. we could have made the finals and not boston that season. terrible things done in that series but it got overlooked because we had a chip the previous year. one of the biggest problem has been accountability with pllayers. that falls on the coach and gm to promote such trait iin the team ,hopefully a new coach will do that and brince success.

No because he is back in his hometown now. That was always the goal. He'll probably retire before anyone can trade him.

I think the more appropriate question is "Did the Clippers make a mistake by giving Kawhi a 5-year max contract?"

Anyway, I'm forever thankful to Kawhi for that needed push to give us CANADIANS our very first NBA CHAMPIONSHIP where others have failed in the past. It was a glorious, unforgettable Championship parade in TORONTO we'll never forget. Hopefully, they honor Kawhi's #2 RAPTORS jersey in the SCOTIA BANK ARENA rafters someday.👍🙂

love your channel thanks for all you do

I used to think this, but now I think that Kawhi knew he was going to be hurt as shit for the next 9 years and he didn’t want to do the raps like that

He probably did but he wanted to go to LA and that's his decision there is know right or wrong answer with what he did in my opinion.

Kawhi had issues developing from the mentally exhausting expectations and the physical impact on his body. This was clear when he first suited up as a Clipper. He put his body on the line for the Raptors and this meant his output as a Clipper has been less than ideal.

Bo those parade shots still hit me in the feels

Spurs Did Right and Sent Kawhi to the best Case Scenario....Pop may be A Hard Ass..but he sent Kawhi to the Defending Eastern Conference Champs at the time...Pop is a Great Guy..lol

Yes he made the biggest mistake of his life because he started to believe all of the hype that he was better than LeBron and now he is paying a hell of a price for it because he's being exposed as a crippled over hyped player.

Hey its the past so yes he did the unthinkable not defending the championship for at least returning one year.. Because the Clippers are going nowhere soon. He might not ever win another ring injuries and bad choices..

In hindsight its better that he left them. Dude hasnt been healthy since.

Yes they would have went back to back. NBA Championships

Very nice editing!

Toronto would had never won a championship at all if not for Kawhi . At the end of the day, its about you, not them and playoffs are never easy.

Hard to say it was a mistake when he just wanted to be home with his family. Family over basketball, can't blame him for that.

Most disappointing franchises? We had made the playoffs for a decade straight when he arrived lol

Let's not go that far with the most disappointing teams... they were in the playoffs for 8 years straight before he came they were a good team they just needed him to put them over the edge

All this assumes Kawhi isn't hurt. Is Toronto going to the playoffs if Kawhi plays 50 games?

failed to mention that if he stayed, it would only happen if they traded siakam and other players away for PG. the team would have looked very different in that case and kawhi and PG would likely have battled injuries on and off. all that needs to be taken into account. but yea, one more chip was definitely a possibility.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda but it didn’t happen. It is what it is!!

He was always going to to play for LA, which team LeBron wasn’t on.

i. thought he did. he had a strong supporting cast around him. and most of all solid coach in nick nurse. since he's left for the clippers it's been tough luck with injury's and personal problems. sister has been sentence to life in prison for murder.

Raptors would have won in 2020 for sure

Clippers have been babying him all his clipper years …. Load management. You can’t play 15 games ( being sarcastic) and expect to turn up during playoffs

you dont leave a winning team. ask kevin durant. you dont chase what you already have.

He should have never left the Spurs. We had the infrastructure and culture to keep winning. If it were not for Za Za pa-cheap-shot in 2017 sticking his foot under Kawhi we would have beat the GSW and went on to win another championship. Congrats to the Raptors for the championship in 2019 but had it not been for nearly the entire GSW team including the water boy being injured in that finals Kawhi and the raptors don’t win that championship. He would’ve won 3 to 5 championships with the Spurs in his career had he stayed.

Kawhii thought him joining Clippers equals a ring for the clips. He was wrong, and he robbed himself and the Raps 2 more rings. I bet he regrets that decision today.

No he didn’t. When you win a championship there’s nothing to go but down and he is going g home so it’s never a wrong decision to go home. His knee will be the same whether he is in Los Angeles or Canada.

Come on man. Don't act like Ben Simmons wasn't a beast with Philly back then. Be serious.

KL we are waiting 4 U here in South Beach, 🔥🔥🔥

Nice💯

Regrets is an American thing that is why they are number one in the world for Depression.. Interesting.. Enjoy NOW.. Period!

Yes

This video assumes he would have remained healthy. There's no reason to think, even with load management, that he wouldn't have still spent significant time on the sidelines if he remained with the Raptors. And the Clippers would also have had legitimate shots at a title over the years if he and Paul George could have stayed healthy there.

Clippers - Injurie Ball 😂😂😂😂 Boston make the Champ Trade After that ???

Yup

Being born in tdot I always wanted to ask that last question?

To save you scrolling through 165 other comments: Yes. He neither respected the players or the organisation except it enabled him a place to play while he transitioned from a club he fell out with, and a club he wanted.

The mistake was leaving San Antonio

Kawhi would have been wrong if Raptors won without him but they've been worst off. You also forget that the likes of Siakam and FVV were jealous of him. Siakam said in a joking way, Where's my own house, why does only Kawhi get a house? Fred said i played too, Where's my free food? I had to pay when i wasnt with Kawhi You also forget Kawhi got injured in 2021.

I hate he left but i understand why.

Same shit they said about the Clippers. You think wrong sir. He can't even help the Clippers😂😂😂😂 What happened to broke body aka the claw?😂😂😂😂😂

He definitely made a mistake

Question...Why he picked the wrong list angeles team .?

Lol yes but if he ever comes back hahaha. HE HAS TO WANT TO COME BACK TO TORONTO RAPTORS. NOT OTHER PPL .

Yes he did

He definitely should've stayed in Toronto...but he's still hurt so. . .still

He beat a battered Warrior team.

Bruh, 3peat, you are reaching

They would have had a shot and been the favorite in 2020 to win the title even if Siakam had a poor bubble, but they damn sure wouldn't have had a shot in 2021. Being away from home for a whole year had such a negative impact on the team. Ibaka and Gasol fell off a cliff after 2020 and 2019, respectively, so you couldn't rely on them to guard the likes of Giannis and Embiid in the post-season. They would have been a good playoff team, but not a championship team. Also, you forgot to mention the Nets as a legit team in the east in 2021. Apart from the Nets, no other team was able to take the bucks to 7. Nets vs Bucks was the real finals matchup.

karma is a bitch! More money does not mean more winning!

My boy you’re drunk.

Pampered And overrated.

The Raptors repeating is cap. Completely ignoring how deep the Clippers were also. The Raptors barely beat Philly with a buzzer beater and only beat Warrior because KD and Klay went down. To act like The Raptors was this unbeatable team is crazy

I think if he was healthy this year or the year before, or year after that the clippers might of won a chip.........nice video essay btw

Kawhi is trash what did he do this playoffs

When you win it; I think you have to try and defend it at least once.