Toronto Raptors: 3 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

2. The Raptors won’t trade Kawhi Leonard

With the status of both his contract and his feelings towards living in Canada crystal clear, some have been led to believe Toronto will look to trade Kawhi before he likely bolts next summer, aiding in the organization’s inevitable rebuild rather than losing him for nothing in free agency.

The Raptors are expected to contend for the Eastern Conference crown this season, which would make trading their top player a head-scratching move, to say the least. Sure, if they inexplicably underperform, it would make sense to cut bait, but such a scenario doesn’t appear likely.

President Masai Ujiri understood what he was doing after acquiring Leonard back in mid-July, and he certainly knows the circumstances now. Maybe his goal all along was to acquire Kawhi just to ship him away for a haul he couldn’t get out of DeMar DeRozan.

The more likely scenario, though, is that with already a nice collection of young talent that could bring the future closer, the Raptors will give this era of their history one more shot, and hope it leads to something special.