Kawhi Leonard's next move carries a lot of weight, and who it falls on will depend on where he ends up.
Speaking Sunday during his appearance on Stadium after the start of free agency, Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet discussed Leonard's impending decision and what it means for the team, calling it "franchise-changing" in the wake of Toronto winning its first NBA championship.
"I think that if we do re-sign [Leonard] I think we got a chance to repeat," VanVleet said. "We want Kawhi back. We got to wait and see but his decision is franchise-changing. So it will be interesting to see what happens if we're not able to and then we have to go in a different direction.
"Right now we're just hopeful that he decides to come back and run it back and we'll try to go get another one."
"His decision is franchise-changing."
— Stadium (@Stadium) June 30, 2019
See why @FredVanVleet wants Kawhi Leonard to return to the Raptors this summer pic.twitter.com/B0ThJelaac
As expected, Leonard opted out of the final year of his contract with the Raptors. After initial reports suggested he was "seriously considering re-signing" with the team, Fox Sports later reported the Raptors' chances of retaining Leonard are "fading" and the likelihood of him heading to Los Angeles is increasingly possible.
Leonard, a southern California native, has long been rumored to wind up with the Clipper or Lakers, with the latter becoming more likely following the addition of Anthony Davis to pair with LeBron James. On the other hand, the two-time Finals MVP could join a Clippers squad that pushed the Warriors to six games in this year's playoffs without a legitimate star.
Leonard had career-high per game averages in points (26.6) and rebounds (7.3) last season and averaged 30.5 points per game in the playoffs.