The Toronto Raptors took a gamble by trading for Kawhi Leonard during the 2018 offseason.
Leonard only had one-year left on his deal and prior to being dealt he wanted to go to the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, the Raptors came to terms on a deal with the San Antonio Spurs as they sent DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick for Leonard.
This move was highly questioned. Especially given the fact that the Raptors had a rookie head coach in Nick Nurse leading the way. However, things worked out perfectly for the Raptors as they won their first NBA championship in franchise history.
Nurse made an appearance on The Draymond Green Show, where he revealed that Leonard told him he was playing to win a title:
“I’m going to play to win it all. I’m going to do it for one year. After that, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But for one year I’m going to play 100% and I’m going to play to win the title.”
Toronto would finish second in the Eastern Conference with a 58-24 record behind the Milwaukee Bucks, who they knocked out in the Eastern Conference Finals.
After knocking off the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Bucks, the Raptors finished the job and defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Even though Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers that following offseason, this risk definitely paid off for the Raptors.
Nick Nurse opens up about coaching Kawhi Leonard in Toronto
Hiring first-time head coaches is always a gamble. However, Nick Nurse quickly proved how tremendous of a coach he is, ultimately becoming a champion.
Dating back to his first season in 2018-19, Nurse opened up about coaching Kawhi Leonard.
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