Kawhi Leonard's free agency gives Raptors new, intense fear ahead of playoffs

Spring is coming, and for the Raptors, that means an annual bout of terror and apprehension.

Because for the last five years, spring in Toronto has meant the local basketball club is in its usual push toward 50 wins or more, soon to be followed by some form or other of postseason calamity.

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To wit:

This year is different, at least in a way. There is not the same level of dread about this team entering the playoffs and petering out in ignominy. There is no monkey on the backs of these players, thanks in large part to the critical changes the franchise has made over the past year.

Coach Dwane Casey, who so often took the blame for the team’s playoff woes, was fired last offseason. Kawhi Leonard was acquired from the Spurs, with Danny Green, for guard DeMar DeRozan, the guy who took the second-biggest heap of playoff blame.  

In the past two months, the team brought in Marc Gasol (for center Jonas Valanciunas, with C.J. Miles and Delon Wright) in a trade with Memphis, then added Jeremy Lin off the waiver wire. The Raptors also signed former Warriors holdout Patrick McCaw back in January.

That has left star guard Kyle Lowry as the only Raptor to experience all five of the team’s recent playoff disappointments. Only Lowry and Norman Powell have been in Toronto for the past three postseasons, and three other players — Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam — were there for both 2017 and 2018.

These are not the same Raptors of five years ago, or three years ago, or even last year. There isn’t the same level of concern about seeding, wins and alterations to the style of play, and how all those things will play into overcoming the franchise’s playoff rut. Those issues were handled on the transaction wire.

But there is worry in Toronto, and it’s more serious this time around. While the concern over the team’s playoff positioning amounted to bouts of hand-wringing over the past few years, there is now a full-fledged, migraine-inducing, fetal-position-in-the-corner angst looming over what might happen next.

Because in trading for Leonard last summer, Toronto left open the possibility that it’s just months away from losing out on a very bold and risky gamble — that Leonard will bolt in free agency, and the franchise will be left only with Lowry and a handful of promising young role players.

There isn’t the same feeling of an inevitable Raptors collapse with this bunch. That’s a good thing. But, man, if they do somehow fold without breaking through to the Finals — or at least the East finals — then the consequences figure to be that much more severe. There’s more at stake here.

Within the team, there is some confidence that the Raptors have done all they can as an organization to entice Leonard to re-sign this summer. They haven’t poured on the "Keep Kawhi" push too thick, which is wise because that’s not something Leonard would find appealing.

Still, the winter has not cooperated. When Leonard was speaking at the All-Star break, Raptors folks had to cringe when he was asked about the city, while trying to put the best possible spin on things, and said, "It’s a great city. There’s a lot to do. Um, it’s just been cold. The snow does look nice on days, but you just need a jacket to go outside. I’m not used to it, wearing boots and everything.

"But as far as the whole city, team, coaching staff, organization, fans, it’s been great."

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Leonard, of course, is a Southern California guy. It’s no secret that Toronto will always be at a disadvantage in keeping Leonard because of the weather, and while the Lakers were targeting Leonard last summer, talk with folks in the Clippers’ ranks, and there is an obvious confidence that they could lure Leonard into the blue-and-red next summer.

Asked to handicap Leonard’s future, one front office executive from another team said, "I think the Lakers are out, but the Clippers are the ones who think they have a shot at him if they decide to go that route. You hear a lot, he still wants to be on the West Coast. But give that group in Toronto all the credit in the world. They’re making it a tough decision for him.

"It might come down to just, 'All right, how did the playoffs go, and how far are we from a championship?'"

That’s where the anxiety creeps in. This team is well-equipped for the playoffs. There is a good mix of youth (OG Anunoby, Siakam, VanVleet) and veteran experience (Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, Green). There is a useful versatility to the group that allows it to play big with Gasol or play small with Ibaka or even Siakam at center. The team can play zone defense — useful against the shooting barrage of the East’s top seed, Milwaukee — and defend the paint, especially with Gasol on board.

But the Raptors also have not ironed out the chemistry with the addition of Gasol, who was in Memphis for 10-plus years and is trying to acclimate to new teammates for the first time in his career. Lin has been a disappointment in 10 games in Toronto, and McCaw has been worse in 19 games.

The Raptors have split their last eight games and appear to be muddling through the remainder of the schedule.

Toronto is set up for an especially difficult playoff road, too, possibly facing Casey and the Pistons in the first round (Detroit won the first two meetings between the teams). They could, conceivably, get the Celtics in the second round, a team that has played them well in splitting four meetings. That would probably lead to a conference finals against the Bucks, who have beaten the Raptors in three of four games this season.

Those are reasons to worry. Much different reasons to worry than the Raptors have had in past years, certainly, and that’s a good thing for the franchise.

But with Leonard’s future on the line, the stakes could be so much higher for this team this spring. Angst is allowed.