Quote:
Originally Posted by fleury
Always comes down to money or some type of lifestyle #### measuring. Toronto has high taxes and isn't exactly a nightlife haven. He may have really loved the Raps growing up, but I doubt he comes here for the above reasons.
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I don't think KD would ever sign in Toronto, but I have a hard time believing it would be for the reasons you are suggesting. It would be because his appeal to the US market would drop significantly playing outside the US. Canada may be perceived as having high taxes, but California is one, if not the highest taxed State in the US. On par or worse than Toronto. Toronto is a mega city that is At the top of the entrtainment spectrum. It's consistently ranked at the top of the cities players most enjoy visiting in NBAPA surveys.
People in Canada and people that live in Toronto really don't give it much credit. It's world class. Outside of LA, Chicago, Miami, New York, and maybe Atlanta, there not many NBA cities that can offer what Toronto can.
Players reluctance to play in Toronto in the past has more to do with the how terrible the Raptors franchise was. As much as it pains me to say this, Drake has really helped the Raps brand to prospective and current players. Combine that with a couple winnin seasons and I think they can pretty much compete with anyone in Free agency not named the Lakers, Heat, Bulls, Knicks, or whatever team LeBron currently calls home.