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Fred VanVleet: Raptors Would Have Won Three Titles if Kawhi Leonard Stayed

Could the Toronto Raptors have been a dynasty if Kawhi Leonard stayed?

Joey Linn

Fred VanVleet: Raptors Would Have Won Three Titles if Kawhi Leonard Stayed
Fred VanVleet: Raptors Would Have Won Three Titles if Kawhi Leonard Stayed /
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When Kawhi Leonard joined the LA Clippers in 2019, he was leaving a Toronto Raptors team that had just won a championship. A Finals MVP leaving in free agency was unheard of, but Leonard wanted to return home to Southern California. While Raptors fans will always cherish that 2019 season, there will forever be an element of sadness about what could have been if Leonard re-signed.

According to Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, Toronto could have won three-straight titles if Leonard stayed. On a recent episode of Serge Ibaka's "How Hungry Are You?" VanVleet joined the show, and was asked if Toronto would go back-to-back if Kawhi stayed. His answer: Three-peat.

While it is understandable why VanVleet feels this way, it is hard to imagine Toronto actually achieving the incredibly rare three-peat. Being pushed to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, falling down 0-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks, and then benefiting from Kevin Durant's injury in the Finals, the Raptors were certainly not a lock for that ring in 2019. That takes nothing away from what they accomplished, but three consecutive titles is hard to see.

Perhaps the Raptors do get another ring if Leonard stays, but he wanted to come home after delivering a championship to a place he never planned to go. 2019 was special, and Raptors fans will always appreciate what Kawhi did during that run.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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