Be interesting to see how Uraji navigates the rest of this offseason and the next one. Mainly the fan expectations; and cut away all the “well there goes the chance at a repeat”, it’s more about the thought that Toronto was a destination for free agents because Leonard went there and had thoughts about resigning there (as long as the Raps ripped the current roster apart to get Paul George).
As I said earlier in the thread, Toronto was an outpost that San Antonio picked. The Raptors bent over backwards to accommodate, make feel welcome, and manage Leonard last year, and bolster the roster, and it turned into a magical year. But for Leonard, it was more to get back in the league, prove his worth, take the year in an different environment to plot his future course and splash as a free agent.
I’m sure free agents and top stars will respect the Raptors for how they handled Leonard, and how electric the atmosphere was at times, and Leonard will have glowing things to say about the Raptors and Toronto (which Toronto fans seem to need to hear to be validated), but I don’t think that’s still all enough on its own for actual top end players to sign there willingly.
X factor in this is Uraji; if he can play his cards right and pull off a “tandem” (as this appears to be the next trend where the league is going), but it’s going to be uphill battle, even with all the goodwill and good vibes the Raptors have around the league right now. Said tandem has to have few other options as far as locations (cap, assets to give up etc), to have the tandem play together.
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