Kawhi Leonard Ponders Selfish Interests After No Familiar Faces Greet His Toronto Return: “It’s the New NBA”

The Los Angeles Clippers decimated the Toronto Raptors in tonight’s game. Kawhi Leonard and Co. made light work of the Raptors and blew them out 127-107. However, this was not the same Raptors squad that Kawhi won a championship with five years ago. After the latest Pascal Siakam trade, Chris Boucher is the only member remaining in the Raptors squad from their 2019 Championship team.

Kawhi pondered selfish interests after seeing completely fresh faces upon his return to Toronto and revealed the harsh reality of the NBA business.

Kawhi Leonard Reveals the New NBA

When a reporter asked Kawhi if it felt weird to see a completely different Raptors squad less than 5 years after leading them to a Championship, the 2-time Champion came to terms with the new reality. “Yeah, it is, but it’s a new NBA. Coaches and players don’t really stay with 1 organization, and you see it now”, Kawhi responded.

The LA Clippers superstar played with the Raptors for only one season in 2018-19. And that was all he needed to achieve greatness. Kawhi led the Raptors to their first Championship in franchise history in his debut season. He left Toronto to join forces with Paul George in LA the following year.

Kawhi made it clear with his comments that it is hard to stay loyal in today’s NBA. Either the players or the organization will betray the other for their interest. However, that is necessary for the growth of both parties. Once the Raptors realized that their golden period was over, they immediately started working towards a rebuild. They traded away all their key players from the 2019 roster, including several franchise players like Kyle Lowry, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam. They also fired their Championship head coach, Nick Nurse, last summer.

The Raptors’ moves benefited everyone

Even though the Raptors only have one player left from the 2019 Championship team, their moves worked out well for everyone. Nick Nurse took over the head coaching role in Philadelphia and has led the Sixers to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference. Fred VanVleet has become a veteran leader for the Houston Rockets and helped them turn the franchise around. The Rockets are having one of their best seasons in years. OG Anunoby is doing wonders with the New York Knicks, and they have been unstoppable since they acquired OG.

Read More: Kawhi Leonard Called Out for $8.5 Million Loss in Whopping Clippers Contract Extension

The Raptors’ latest trade, Pascal Siakam, made his debut with the Pacers last week. He has been playing great in his new team and even helped a Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers team defeat the Sixers and the Suns on back-to-back nights. Meanwhile, the Raptors have a lot of assets to build their future. So, Kawhi Leonard’s comments might be what is best for the NBA in the modern era.

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