Toronto Raptors: Why the Kawhi Leonard gamble could pay off

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to trade for Kawhi Leonard, one of the game’s greatest superstars. The move is not without risk, though.

For several days, the Toronto Raptors emerged as a surprise contender for superstar Kawhi Leonard‘s services.

According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Haynes, the surprise is beginning to settle into reality. The agreed upon deal will send DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected first round pick to San Antonio.

Outside of the Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of LeBron James, Leonard’s move to Toronto would be the biggest move of the NBA offseason.

The deal doesn’t come without risk, of course. In sending away DeRozan, the Raptors are breaking up a core that has granted the team and its fans the franchise’s best ever run. There’s no guarantee Leonard doesn’t blow the chemistry to smithereens, like he did in San Antonio.

In fact, ESPN’s Chris Haynes reports Leonard isn’t interested in joining the team.

Everyone knows what happens when Leonard is purportedly unhappy, as he was in San Antonio last year.

But the reward could be — and arguably should be — worth the risk.

There’s a power vacuum in the Eastern Conference on the heels of James’ move to Los Angeles. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers look poised to fill the void, but the Raptors finished first in the Eastern Conference standings last year; before this move, they were largely bringing back that same first-place team.

While DeRozan developed and became beloved in Toronto, nobody can argue that he’s a better player than Leonard. DeRozan made the All-NBA Second Team for the first time last year. Leonard has made the All-NBA First Team twice and secured NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors twice as well. He also has an NBA Finals MVP award to his name.

Leonard only has one year left on his contract, and reports for months have suggested that he has Los Angeles in his sights after this year, making him a one-year rental. Still, there’s recent precedent for a player spurning his L.A. dreams for a team that wooed him a year before: Paul George.

Even if Leonard left after a year, he’s talented enough to pilot the Raptors to their first NBA Finals. From there, a first championship would be in sight.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

That’s worth the gamble for the Raptors.