The Toronto Raptors are understandably focused on doing everything in their power to show why Kawhi Leonard should stay with the franchise beyond the 2018-19 season.
It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that the other San Antonio player Masai Ujiri acquired in the trade that sent DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick the other way is also a free agent this coming summer.
Danny Green has become a crucial piece of the puzzle for the 21-7 Toronto Raptors, leading the league in individual net rating at plus-17.2 courtesy of some excellent defence and shooting a team-best 42.7 per cent from beyond the arc. He’s made critical plays down the stretch in wins over the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors at home, and even hit a buzzer-beating game-winner in Orlando against the Magic.
The 31-year-old is looking much like the player who had a significant role to play in the Spurs’ back-to-back NBA Finals runs in 2013 and 2014, and hinted that he’d very much like to be back in Toronto beyond this season on Sunday.
“They figure if they keep Kawhi, then they can keep me, I guess,” Green said when making an appearance on Bleacher Report’s The Full 48 podcast. “You don’t have to keep him to have me.”
The former NBA champion then went on to express his belief in the current iteration of the Raptors, and that keeping everyone around could be a huge opportunity for the franchise.
“It’d be great to have both of us back because I think we have something special here in Toronto with the core group, and if we can keep everybody together and continue to grow, I think we can change the organization around to being something different.”
Green has ingratiated himself with the Canadian fan base well before becoming a Raptor. For the last 10 years, Green has been a guest coach at Olympia Sports Camp in Huntsville, Ont., helping children in the community grow their game.
He’s made several public appearances since representing Toronto on the court in an effort to further engage with the fan base, and so if the Raptors were to ultimately fail in keeping Leonard beyond this season, extending Green would at least help soften the blow.
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