A year later: Reflecting on Kawhi Leonard's Raptors departure
The Toronto Raptors' Kawhi Leonard saga started with a tweet from Chris Haynes in the early morning on July 18, 2018.
"Kawhi Leonard has no desire to play in Toronto, league source tells ESPN," Haynes wrote.
The tweet came just minutes after Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the San Antonio Spurs' disgruntled superstar was coming north to join the Raptors.
Questions surrounding Leonard's future looming free agency hung over the franchise for the entire 2018-19 season. It wasn't always at the forefront — thanks largely to Leonard's disinterest to talk about it — but it was always present.
Does he like us? Raptors fans wondered. What will it take to get him to stay?
The question faded as the Raptors marched through the playoffs and eventually onto an NBA championship. But eventually, the reality of Leonards' free agency began to sink in.
"Five more years" Raptors fans chanted as Kyle Lowry egged them on, trying to convince Leonard to re-sign in Toronto.
Then came the rumors about the HSBC card, the private girls school, and the home depot boxes:
And then came the helicopter chase:
Ultimately, there wasn't much the Raptors ever could have done. The Los Angeles native wanted to go home.
At 1:53 a.m., on July 6, 2019, Haynes put the Leonard saga to rest for the Raptors.
"Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports," he tweeted.
It would be a few more hours before most Raptors fans awoke to the news that the Leonard sweepstakes were over. By then, the NBA had seemingly transformed: Leonard was a Clipper and so too was Paul George after a blockbuster deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For months, Raptors fans had largely accepted Leonard was likely just a rental. He'd come, win a championship, they hoped, and leave like a mercenary. But when the dream came true and the party commenced, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of hope that the story would end differently.
Now, a year later, as the NBA heads toward its return, Raptors fans will soon find out just how good they can be without the reigning Finals MVP.
