Kawhi Leonard’s potential return to Toronto equips a gritty Raptors roster with the elite shot-creation needed to dismantle Philadelphia’s defense and upend the Eastern Conference hierarchy.
The Philadelphia 76ers did not need the Eastern Conference to get more complicated.
A Kawhi Leonard return to the Toronto Raptors unfortunately did exactly that.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Raptors and Clippers have agreed to a trade that will send Leonard back to Toronto. It gives the Raptors something they badly needed: a proven playoff scorer who can create difficult shots when defenses tighten.
Toronto was already a difficult matchup because of its size, defense, and versatility. The Raptors have enough length to make possessions uncomfortable, enough athleticism to pressure the ball, and enough defensive structure to keep games from becoming easy. Their issue was not toughness. It was whether they had enough reliable scoring when the game slowed down.
Leonard changes that conversation.
Even at this stage of his career, Leonard remains a skilled scorer. He may no longer be the same overwhelming two-way force who carried Toronto to a championship in 2019, but he can still work from the midrange, punish switches, create his own shot and provide the kind of half-court offense playoff teams need.
For the Sixers, that makes the matchup more dangerous.
Philadelphia and Toronto already played competitive games last season. The Raptors beat the Sixers 116-115 in overtime during a January meeting when Philadelphia did not have Joel Embiid or Paul George available. One night later, the Sixers responded with a 115-102 win behind Tyrese Maxey’s 33 points and Embiid’s 27. That split showed how different the matchup can look depending on availability, shot creation, and who controls the tempo of the game.
Adding Leonard tilts that equation.
In previous matchups, Philadelphia could live with Toronto’s defense if the Raptors did not have enough shot-making to punish them late. The Sixers could load up on Scottie Barnes or Brandon Ingram, force other players to make decisions, and trust that Toronto’s offense would eventually hit dry spells.
Leonard makes that harder.
He gives the Raptors a player who can create outside the flow of the offense. When possessions break down, he can still get to a spot. When defenses switch, he can attack mismatches. When a playoff game becomes slow and physical, he has the patience and strength to play through that kind of style.
This isn't good for Philadelphia, especially when you factor in that the East is already crowded.
Detroit, Boston, New York, and Cleveland all entered the offseason with legitimate playoff expectations. Indiana is expected to bounce back after a down year. Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, and Charlotte are all trying to stay in the mix and are making big moves of their own. Toronto was already part of that group before the Leonard possibility. With him, the Raptors would become more than a tough regular-season team. They would become a dangerous playoff opponent.
That is the larger issue for Philadelphia.
The Sixers are trying to build a roster that can survive in a loaded conference. They need enough offense around Maxey and Embiid, enough defensive mobility around their stars, and enough depth to handle a conference where very few series will be comfortable.
Leonard going back to Toronto would only raise that standard.
For the Raptors, it would be a chance to add the scorer their defense needed.
For the Sixers, it would be another reminder that the East is becoming a dogfight, and standing still may not be enough.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].
