Leonard obviously biggest piece as Raptors plan ahead
TORONTO—The Toronto Raptors were still partying it up in Las Vegas, part of an extended celebration following their first championship, when the NBA starting reshaping itself for a new season with the blockbuster trade agreement Saturday that will send Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
Talk about snapping back to reality.
Turns out Raptors coach Nick Nurse already had.
Back home in Toronto Sunday, on the eve of a parade to honor his team, Nurse said he and general manager Bobby Webster have already started talking about a future that’s full of tough questions.
“Bobby and I have already had two meetings about it since the championship,” Nurse said. “The reality is that it’s right upon us, and we get to work. I’ve got several meetings today with some players. We don’t have any choice but to get to work on it. My thought, always, is stay hungry. We’ve got to get our guys that we want back.”
No player is more important to Toronto’s fortunes than Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent.
“We definitely want him back,” Raptors forward Pascal Siakam said.
Center Marc Gasol said Leonard’s elite two-way game makes him “one of a kind.”
“I don’t think there’s any other player of his caliber right now in the NBA,” Gasol said. “He’s on a pedestal by himself.”
With status like that, longtime teammate Danny Green said Leonard’s decision is sure to have a ripple effect across the NBA.
“Let’s not be foolish,” Green said. “His decision affects a lot of guys’ decisions. He can change a whole organization.”
Even after a year together, Nurse said he has no idea which way Leonard is leaning. —AP
