Kawhi Leonard Must Drop Ego for Raptors to Win Another Title

Kawhi Leonard is coming back to the Toronto Raptors after a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers was completed earlier this week.

Leonard returns to the franchise that he won the 2019 NBA championship with, and it gives him a chance to continue building his legacy as a pillar of the franchise.

"Him going back to Toronto is a complete legacy play for Kawhi," NBA insider Shams Charania said.

"There were teams, including Detroit and Minnesota, and others that had interest in trading for him and wanted to give him an extension, but he made a decision because he had one year left on his deal. He essentially wanted to weed out where he wanted to play and be. This is a legacy play for Kawhi Leonard. There's no doubt about it."

Does Kawhi Care About Legacy More Than a Championship?

There are a number of reasons Leonard could have wanted to return to the Raptors as opposed to playing for a different franchise. His familiarity with the city and organization could have played a role, as could the team's current makeup and their path toward a possible championship.

Even with teams like the Detroit Pistons, who won 60 games last year and were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have made two Western Conference Finals appearances in the last three years, Leonard still preferred Toronto.

If Leonard is coming to the Raptors to fuel his personal legacy, Toronto is not going to get very far with him. The Raptors need Leonard to buy into what they have already built over the last three years under head coach Darko Rajakovic. There's a good chance Leonard could be the Raptors' best player, but he has to come in eager to meet Toronto where they are, much like he did upon his arrival in 2018.

This isn't to say that the Raptors aren't a title contender. Their odds have certainly improved with Leonard on the roster, and it wouldn't be totally far-fetched to imagine the Raptors as a true contender now that Kawhi is on the team. He definitely moves the needle and gives the Raptors a chance.

The only way to win a championship nowadays is to buy in as a team, and Leonard will have to do that more now than he did when he was here the first time. If Leonard is primarily focused on his own personal legacy compared to the team, the Raptors will beat themselves before they can beat anyone in a jam-packed Eastern Conference.

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