The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference heading into next season. There’s a real argument to be made that they are the best team in the East. But now, the Kawhi Leonard trade has officially gone through. After a major hold-up, the Toronto Raptors have acquired Leonard, sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and picks back to the LA Clippers. That’s bad news for the Sixers.
Obviously, as soon as the Leonard punishment came through, it seemed inevitable that the Raptors trade would eventually be finalized. Both teams just had to sort things out in the aftermath of the Clippers’ penalty. Now, the Eastern Conference has one more true contender. Because with Leonard in town, the Raptors should be seen as a sleeper threat to win the conference.
And for the Sixers – a team competing at the top of the East in hopes of making a run to the Finals – more competition is bad, because it makes life all the more difficult.
Kawhi Leonard joining the Raptors makes the East h
Leonard is still one of the best players in the league. He’s a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end, especially when the game gets down to clutch situations, which is common in the playoffs.
He’s not quite the defender he once was, but he’s still great on that side of the ball. And that’s part of what will make the Raptors so great heading into next season.
Toronto is set to boast one of the most impressive defensive lineups in basketball. With the likes of Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Collin-Murray Boyles, Jamal Shead, and RJ Barrett ready to be unleashed, they’re going to be great on that end of the court.
Plus, with Leonard’s offensive production – especially when the postseason rolls around – the Raptors probably won’t run into some of the scoring lapses that plagued them this past season.
They finally have the offensive engine who can lead them while Barnes continues to playmake and dominate on defense. It’s a great one-two punch that should place the Raptors among the East’s elite, even if it takes them a little bit of time to gel.
Meanwhile, the Sixers are going to have to gel, too. They have all the talent in the world, but it’s all coming together quickly. And with Leonard in the East officially, their road just got a bit harder.
It was always inevitable, but Leonard joining the Raptors is going to make the 76ers’ road to the Finals even tougher.
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