Brooklyn Nets: NBA Finals matchup bad for Brooklyn’s superteam dream
By Evan Decruz
Scenario 2: Toronto wins the NBA Championship.
If the underdog Raptors somehow find a way to dethrone Golden State, Durant’s chances of leaving the Warriors goes up substantially, which bodes well for Brooklyn. The third straight ring for Durant would be off the table and so would the opportunity for a four-peat in Golden State.
This might be the motivation he needs to leave and attempt to lead a different team like Brooklyn as the primary star to an NBA title. He’s been criticized for being unable to lead a team on his own like LeBron has, according to the News Herald.
If the Raptors win the NBA title, the Nets would have more leverage to sign Durant but at the same time would lose whatever little leverage they had to sign Leonard. Its a Catch-22 here.
This makes the dream pairing of KD and Kawhi almost impossible.
Brooklyn is a long shot to sign Leonard, but if Toronto wins the title Brooklyn would have virtually no chance at signing Leonard.
CBS Sports reports that several Toronto millionaires have offered to purchase a multi-million dollar home in Toronto for Leonard if he re-signs with the Raptors. That’s even more incentive for Leonard to re-sign with Toronto. They’re offering this now.
The previous credible rumor from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has Leonard either staying in Toronto or most likely going to the LA Clippers, but that was before the Raptors went to the Finals.
The odds of Leonard staying in Toronto have gone up since then.
The Nets would become the third option at best for Leonard, strategically disadvantaged by both Toronto and the LA Clippers. Brooklyn will likely be competing with a host of other teams as every team with the cap space will try and sign Leonard during free agency as well.
As if all these obstacles don’t seem like enough there’s yet another obvious one to address:
Would Leonard still leave Toronto if the Raptors win?
What if they win and Leonard is named NBA Finals MVP?
I can’t remember the last time a free agent won an NBA championship as the cornerstone of a team and left that championship team in free agency a month later. It’s almost inconceivable.
It’s also important to note Toronto can offer Leonard a full maximum contract for five years. If the Raptors win the title I think Leonard will stay in Toronto to make more money, let fans buy him a multi-million dollar mansion and defend his title next year.
Scenario 2 Takeaway: If the Raptors win the NBA Finals, the Nets have a much better chance at landing Durant in free agency but their small chance for Leonard would all but evaporate since Leonard was a long shot anyway. Scenario 2 is better than scenario 1.
Unfortunately, the Raptors are heavy underdogs.
Brooklyn would have been in a better bargaining position for Leonard if the Raptors were eliminated earlier.