What would a Raptors 'Last Dance' look like?
Where's Uncle Dennis, we're making a Toronto Raptors 'Last Dance!'
OK, not quite, but hypothetically, if we were to make a Raptors version of the Last Dance about the 2018-19 Raptors, we'd either need a happy-to-talk Kawhi Leonard (not happening) or a candid Uncle Dennis Robertson, Leonard's uncle who seemed to be heavily involved in Leonard's basketball career.
What has made the Last Dance so great so far is the access ESPN/Netflix got to Michael Jordan. Through six episodes we've been given a peek behind the curtain to see what life was like inside the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls. We've had seemingly candid interviews with Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and almost everyone you could possibly want (save for the late Jerry Krause) about how turbulent that last Chicago Bulls championship season was.
In order to make a Raptors Last Dance, we'd have to have everyone involved in last year's championship run from Masai Ujiri to Leonard, Gregg Popovich and maybe even Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens who pushed Kyle Lowry in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Question 1: How did the Raptors get Kawhi?
I think the first question I'd want answered is what the heck happened in San Antonio that allowed Toronto to trade for Leonard.
We know Leonard was frustrated with his leg injury, the way the Spurs diagnosed it, treated it, and then set a timetable for his return, but still, what happened there? What did the Spurs doctors say? What did Leonard's own doctors say? How did one of the best organizations in the NBA let Kawhi Leonard walk out the door for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected first-round pick?
Question 2: How mad was Kawhi about being traded to Toronto?
Immediately following the Raptors trade on July 18, 2018, there were a set of reports suggesting Leonard was not going to come to Toronto.
Yahoo's Chris Haynes, who is well connected with Leonard's group, said Leonard had "no desire to play in Toronto."
Sean Deveny of the Sporting News went so far as to report "There have been indications that (Leonard) would sit out the entire season if necessary, and though that step would be drastic and unprecedented in today’s game, Toronto has forced the situation into uncharted territory by acquiring a player who has made it clear he does not want to be there."
So honestly, how upset was Leonard and if he was sit-out-the-entire-season upset, how did Toronto fix it?
Question 3: What was that trade like for Masai Ujiri?
The trade was pretty polarizing at the time because Toronto had to give up DeRozan and split up what had become a fairly successful and beloved duo of Lowry and DeRozan. Ujiri was pretty diplomatic about the deal, thanking DeRozan for what he had done for the Raptors and welcoming Leonard onto the team. But what was it like behind the scenes? Did Ujiri walk into the Raptors office with his arms in the air celebrating? Was he nervous? Candidly, what was this moment like for Ujiri?
Question 4: Why did the Raptors hire Nick Nurse?
Why did Ujiri pick Nick Nurse to replace Dwane Casey? Maybe more so, why not Mike Budenholzer? ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Budenholzer met with the Raptors but Toronto never offered him the position. A few days later, Budenholzer signed up to coach the Milwaukee Bucks.
In hindsight, this seems like a sliding doors moment. Would the Raptors have won the championship with Budenholzer instead of Nurse? We can't answer that question, but maybe we can find out how close the Raptors came to having a different head coach.
Question 5: How close were the Raptors to trading Lowry at the 2019 deadline?
Days before the Raptors acquired Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies, there was a rumor that Toronto was trying to deal Lowry to Memphis for Mike Conley. It was even reported by Jake Fischer that Lowry knew about the trade discussions.
How close was this deal to happening and how did Lowry take the news?
Question 6: How close was Pascal Siakam to being dealt?
This question isn't specific to the 2019 deadline, but almost every trade rumor prior to and during that 2018-19 season seemed to include one of either Siakam or OG Anunoby leaving the Raptors. Brian Windhorst reported that the Spurs asked for both the Raptors young pieces in the Leonard deal, but Ujiri held firm, refusing to give up either.
Question 7: What did Uncle Dennis and Kawhi ask for?
After Leonard left for Los Angeles, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Leonard's team made some unreasonable and potentially prohibited requests of the Raptors to re-sign.
When Ujiri was asked if Leonard was upfront with Toronto during the negotiations, the Raptors president seemed to insinuate that not everyone was completely transparent.
Question 8: Was this always going to be the Only Dance?
Did Leonard ever have any intention of re-signing in Toronto? Was the whole negotiation just a ploy to get the Clippers to give Leonard exactly what he wanted. If Toronto traded for Russell Westbrook and Paul George, would Leonard have stayed, or was there never any scenario where Toronto could have truly run it back with Leonard at the helm?
Other questions: Why did Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens push Lowry? Why did Leonard snub Norm Powell's fist bump before Game 3 of the NBA Finals? Why did Nick Nurse call a timeout up by six at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals? Why did Leonard sign up for a HSBC card? What did Uncle Dennis' "five more years" chant at the championship parade mean?
Don't hold your breath for a Raptors 2018-19 documentary. While we might be able to get some of those questions answered, I wouldn't count on a sit down with Uncle Dennis or Leonard any time soon.
Aaron Rose covers the Toronto Raptors for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronbenrose or on Facebook @AllRaptors.
