As the 2026-27 NBA regular season continues to inch closer, anticipation continues to build around seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard potentially returning to the Toronto Raptors. Now that the investigation has finally been completed after just short of a full calendar year, curiosity has begun to increase among fans wondering why the trade hasn’t been finalized quite yet. While unlikely, there is potential that general manager Bobby Webster is reconsidering his initial offer of two-time All-Star Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks for the two-time Finals MVP. 

With Leonard expected to eventually become a Raptor again, fans have begun to look back at his last tenure with Toronto. Capturing the franchise’s first and only championship in his only season in Canada, the Raptors were able to overcome all odds and defeat the superteam that was the Golden State Warriors, who had Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins. As fans commemorate the special time for the entire northern nation, Warriors fans felt the need to rain on their parade by reminding them of the poor health Golden State endured in the 2019 Finals. 

For those who don’t remember, 16-time All-Star Durant played just over one quarter in the series; he missed the first four games due to a calf strain, and then subsequently tore his Achilles in Game 5. Five-time All-Star Thompson sat out Game 3 due to a hamstring strain, but returned for Game 4 before ultimately tearing his ACL in Game 6. Four-time All-Star Cousins sat out nearly the entire first three rounds of the playoffs with a torn quad, but returned to play in all six games of the Finals. For the Raptors, OG Anunoby had an emergency appendectomy in early April, thus missing the entirety of the playoff run. 

Hindsight is always going to be 20/20, but what was the common prediction for the series before it happened? Durant was already ruled out because of the calf strain with no real promise for an imminent return, but that didn’t stop the media from siding with the team eyeing the first three-peat since Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-2002. Sports Illustrated saw all seven of its analysts predicting Golden State to win in five or six games; USA Today saw four of five members pick the Warriors in five or six games; and ESPN’s forecast was 75% Warriors and 25% Raptors (via Reddit). 

Several fans continue to focus on the Thompson injury being the turning point in the series. What people forget is that the Raptors were up 3-1 with the former Washington State Cougar playing in three of the four games. The real needle-mover was the man who won both of the previous two Finals MVPs, Durant. Raptors fans argue Leonard and Anunoby would have nullified his offensive ability, so Golden State wouldn’t have had enough to defeat Leonard and the Raptors. 

There are two main problems with this argument for Raptors nation. First of all, there is no stopping Durant on offense. The best scorers in NBA history are simply unfazed by any and every defender; they can only be stopped by themselves. It would be easy to argue the same thing for Leonard, who averaged 28.5 points per game in the series. Even if it were true that Durant would be absent on offense because of his defenders, the Warriors still had the greatest shooting backcourt of all time, playing alongside a brilliant playmaker and tone setter, Green. 

This was not just a team led by a superstar or two; this is quite easily the greatest basketball team ever assembled, led by two top-12 players in NBA history in their prime, coupled with three more All-Stars. The Raptors were exceptional in 2019 because of their brilliant depth to surround their lone superstar, Leonard. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Anunoby, and Norman Powell had all yet to be All-Stars; Marc Gasol was well past his prime; and Kyle Lowry was a great costar but was never close to being a top-10 player in the NBA. There are levels to the greatest teams in the NBA’s pristine history, and the Raptors should be thrilled to be mentioned rather than arguing they deserve to be higher.