Kawhi Leonard chose to return home the previous summer, as he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite the fact that his desire to play home was the main reason for his decision, Leonard believed the Toronto Raptors weren’t good enough to repeat, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
Leonard led along with Kyle Lowry and Co. the Raptors to the first-ever championship in franchise history. He was named the Finals MVP.
The former Spurs superstar had to choose between three options last summer: to join forces with Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the LA Lakers, to become the leader of the LA Clippers with the help of another superstar, or re-sign with the reigning champions.
He signed with the Clippers along with Paul George, who also wanted to play in Los Angeles. Despite the departure of Leonard, the Toronto Raptors had the second-best record in the East in the 2019-2020 season, while they came close to play in the Eastern Conference Finals in Orlando, losing to the Boston Celtics in a close-fought seven-game series.
