This just broke my brain…

This just broke my brain…

This just broke my brain as the LA Clippers have been a dumpster fire this season. They have the NBA investigating them for all the off the books transactions they had with Kawhi Leonard. We covered all that in the summer and now trade rumors are starting to escalate regarding some of their top guys. And a portion of the Raptors fan base is looking at this as an opportunity for this team to cash in and as they did in 2019, trade for uh you know a minimal trade value Kawi Leonard and cash in to win a championship. Now, I am by no means saying this is smart. I am by no means saying that this is the avenue that the Toronto Raptor should go down as the money and the position, all the contracts make this very, very weird. However, there is one trade package if uh you know the Laker the LA Clippers end up going down this path that would be at least worth a discussion for the Toronto Raptors and makes for a very interesting hypothetical for this team moving forward. So, we’re going to break down what that is, what the reports are right now regarding the LA Clippers, and why the Raptors would have to look, even if I disagree with it, at a trade proposal like this from the LA Clippers. So, lots of stuff to break down in this. Of course, I am prefacing all of this. It is still very early on in the season, and the Toronto Raptors are one of the best teams out there in the Eastern Conference. Even with uh losing three of their last four games, Bobby Webster, Messiah Yajuri have put together a really strong, enticing squad that is tied for the second seed in the Eastern Conference right now with the New York Knicks. And you know, the Knicks have a better win percentage, so I guess we’re third. But the Raptors are fine. The Raptors don’t need to make any crazy blockbuster moves. I still stand on the fact we need to improve our stuff at the center position, get some backups, one backup sevenfooter around Yaka Purle, so in games where he is injured, things will be fine. I’m by no means, you know, campaigning for a big blockbuster trade, especially as someone that, you know, has talked about this entire season, not wanting to trade RJ Barrett. I started a movement, especially when the trade talks were a lot hotter, you know, a few months ago. I did not want to trade RJ Barrett. I still do not want that to be the case. But there are a couple things coming up regarding uh the LA Clippers right now. First of it starts with uh Zubot, of course, their center that was an elite is still an elite defensive big man out there in the NBA. one of the highest value pieces out there. Uh felt like last season, you know, stock was rising, but uh now a report has come out essentially uh that there have been mixed signals around the league from teams that have contacted the LA Clippers about Zubot and uh if they are actually willing to discuss his name and trade talks, but early indication is the Los Angeles would demand at least two first round picks. Sources have said uh Zubach has received most interest out of any player out there on the Clippers entering December as multiple Eastern and Western Conference teams in playoff positions have called Frank and Los Angeles to get info about their starting center. So, there has been some buzz. There has been some chatter about the LA Clippers blowing things up. And of course, you know, I discussed how I want to see the the Toronto Raptors make a trade for a center. Bring someone in. I’m standing on business on this. I don’t care how good the Toronto Raptors are. We need another center footer so we don’t punt games where Yakapurto is resting on a backto-back standing on that this entire year until it gets fixed. I don’t care if we’re the first seed. We need to fill our backup center roster. Now, Zubot will probably be the starting center brought in, but that’s not the big discourse. That’s not what’s in the thumbnail of this video because there was this report that came out from Brian Winhorse as well saying that people around the league believe that Kawhi Leonard now has negative trade values. So, this is coming from Brian Winhorse. That is very very interesting for a guy in Kawawaii Leonard that is having you know again he has dealt with injuries. Yes, it’s off the you know court scandal going on but that was end up screwing up screwing the Toronto Raptors out of another championship in my opinion. But Kawawaii has been fantastic this season averaging 26 points per game. Has played 12 games. So again still dealing with injuries and stuff but 5.5 rebounds three assists per night. Is still one of the most efficient players out there in all of basketball. you know, he’s fourth in the NBA in steals per game. So, still providing solid value out there on the defensive end. Kawhi Leonard, there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it, is still when healthy, when on the court, one of the best players in basketball. And now you are getting reports, you are getting discussions, you are getting discourse that this guy has negative trade value in the NBA. And where a lot of this comes from, and I don’t have the full quotes here, but his contract makes it very, very difficult to move off of. And the LA Clippers are wanting to get out of the Kawhi Leonard business. There’s been a lot of rumors, a lot of discussions, a lot of discourse about that fact because again, it’s a bad look that uh you know, all the aspiration stuff. You know, the Clippers have been a cursed franchise. There’s a lot of buzz about them just not wanting to deal with the drama queen that is Kawhi Leonard. Paired on top of it, they have an asset out there in a Zubach who is one of the, you know, upper echelon centers in the NBA. 16.2 points per game, 12 rebounds to 2.7 assists. you know, very efficient, you know, a big man that is one of the better defenders was in the DPOI conversations for a while last season. Zub is a very good basketball player as well. Now, Kawhai’s contract at about $50 million per year makes it very hard for the Raptors to cash in on this negative trade value that Kawi Leonard has. So, that is something that makes it difficult and tough to really bring up and discuss. But there is one trade package that I put together that again I came into this ready to rip into this trade just like no there’s no world trade for Kawaii. He’s 34 years old. He’s dealt with injuries and stuff but this one and as an RJ Barrett stand this one at least you have to think about and on the surface it might look like a bad trade. It might look like a bad a bad move. So the Raptors would get Kawhi Leonard Vika Zubach as well as Chris Dunn out there from the LA Clippers. In order for the money to work, you send out Emanuel quickly, RJ Barrett and Oiabaji to the LA Clippers. Now, in this package, you are doing it off the fact that, you know, the Clippers want to get out of the Kawhi Leonard business. There’s not a lot of suitors for them, and you want to get some young talent, some young elite players back, and guys like R.J. Barrett have proved this season that they are plus. They are valuable pieces out there in the NBA. RJ Barrett, of course, this year averaging 19.4 points per game, five rebounds, four assists on very efficient shooting. you know, a guy that’s out on the wing can replace all the production they lost in Norman Pal, you know, which is very, very impactful for that group last season because the Clippers don’t have their draft picks, so they’re not trying to tank. They’d want some valuable pieces back. And then you’d have Emanuel Quickley as well. You know, proving to be a starting caliber point guard in the league, you know, 16 points per game, six assists per night, knocking down three-point shots at a 39% rate. you know, this would completely fortify the LA Clippers back court and, you know, give them a wing out there, you know, to to run things off of in terms of their stats, in terms of everything like that. Like, you know, IQ RJ Barrett would be a crazy crazy get for Kawhi Leonard if he’s a negative asset. Of course, Zubach is a, you know, a very valuable piece out there in this trade scenario. And you look at you also get Oiabaji who’s, you know, having a brutal season out there at the from the three-point line, but that is what it is. So, they get out of the Kawhi Leonard business. They do have to give up Zubot, which is a tough position for them to be in. But the Raptors, of course, you say no to this trade because that would completely damage the vibes out here in this group. That would be the reason the Raptors that have been rolling, they’ve been elite, they’ve been awesome. You the the reason the Raptors would say no to this and you know, the youth movement, the upside of IQ of RJ Barrett and all that, that’s the reason you say no. But I look and you know that’s a strong enough reason for me to say no to this as well. But I look if that’s the package, if that’s the lineup, they want to get out of that Kawhi Leonard business. If this is the trade that you have, you’d have to believe in Jamal Shed to be your starting point guard now at this point. But if you ran a lineup of Jamal Shed, Brandon Ingram, Scotty Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, and Zub out there at the center spot, that is by far the best defensive team in the NBA. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. That is. And then off the bench too, you have Chris Dunn who’s a very strong defender. Uh Oi Baji’s trade in this package so he should be off the list. But you have Jacobe Walter there off the bench. You have CMBB off the bench. You have Purle coming off the bench. You now have an opportunity where you have the best center tandem out there in the NBA with Purle and Zubach, you know, be able to fill in minutes. You split the minutes out there in the game so you limit injury risk and stuff. You have Kawhi Leonard who again statistically is having a phenomenal year at his 34 year old age season. He’s not like 40 40 years old. He’s not Kevin Durant age. He still has some, you know, injuries might prevent him from having a lot of gas left in the tank, but he is still producing when he is out there on the basketball court. I don’t know. I I came into this video. That’s why it broke my brain. Ready to just rip into it. Ready to just look at I look at this lineup, man, and I see a team that’s coming out of the Eastern Conference at least. I see a team that’s coming out of the Eastern Conference at least. Of course, Kawhai would have to stay healthy. You know, it’s that is a tough tough package. That is a tough lineup. It would be it’s not tough to say no about a manual quickly that RJ Barrett getting traded. By no means by no stretch of the imagination. Look at this lineup. You look at the defense that this could provide. Shed being the assist man that he has been this entire season. You know, I know Shed’s uh been inefficient out there in recent games and stuff, but you know, he’s up there 38th in the NBA in assists per game coming off the bench and just playing 19 minutes per night. You know, he gets a ton of steals. He plays a lot of defense. He’s shooting 34% from the three-point line. Again, he’s been in a bit of a slump as of late. You know, doesn’t score that much around the basket, but you know, if Shed’s not cutting it out there on certain nights, you run Scotty at point guard and you figure it out. You have Chucky Epern off the bench in this scenario. You also get a Chris Dunn who, you know, could provide similar value out there in this team. I mean, I I’m a bit speechless in terms of what this trade could do. And now I am a guy. I am being honest. I am being upfront with you. Kawhi Leonard never soured in my boats in my books. I love Kawhi Leonard. I watched that season in pure glee and pure bliss to have the best player in the NBA at the time out there on our roster. So I just think back to those moments. You have Brandon Ingram. You have Scotty Barnes now who can take the load off of Kawhai completely over the course of the season. Let him rest. Let him do whatever. And then come playoff time, let Kawhai do what he does. I don’t know. opposing it to you guys right now because I don’t really know what I do here now at this point. But would you make this trade? Yeah. Type Y for yes and for no. Would you make this trade? I’ll respond to every comment. Would you trade Abandio quickly RJ Baraji for Kawi Leonard Zub and Christa? Now I don’t know how they’re valuing Zub. I don’t know what you know the Clippers cuz again it’s it’s a tough situation for them to be in. They’d have to want to be getting young and valuable pieces, valuable assets, but this this put my brain in a blender. This put my brain in an absolute blender and I want to know if I’m just delusional, if I’m crazy for even thinking this is a move that should be made. I’m not saying it should be made either because I think this would really affect the vibes on this roster, but I don’t know, man. It’s it’s it’s an interesting spot. The the Raptors are at a very interesting spot as well right now. Facing off uh you know, the team has been rolling still third out there in the Eastern Conference. Uh the schedule’s picking up a little bit as of late. You face the Charlotte Hornets tonight, I believe. Yes, the Charlotte Hornets tonight. The Celtics have been rolling lately out there Sunday. The Bucks who are without Giannis now. So the Celtics Nets not the heaviest of schedules coming up, but uh the Raptors have about mid-level schedule going the rest of the season. You’re 15 and eight. You’ve been beating bad teams over the course of this year. It’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be interesting to see how these things shake out. But let me know in the comments section below how you’re feeling. Again, my brain’s in a little bit of a blender right now. You guys the best. I’m signing out. Cheers.

The Toronto Raptors have been absolutely rolling this season and most people are very excited about the direction of this team. However, an oportunity regarding Kawhi Leonard has just arose that would be an INSANE risk for the team but is definitely worth discussing. Ben Rogers breaks down the new reports and what it would mean for the Raptors.

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