I know **** all about basketball but didnt Toronto just win? whys their star now leaving
He had one year left. When the Spurs relationship soured, he was trying to force a trade to Los Angeles. San Antonio stuck it to him and sent his ass to Toronto.
There was speculation and rumours before the season that he was potentially looking for a way to sit out the season, but it seems to be disputed and Kawhi claims he texted Lowry a day after the trade.
Kawhi DID NOT want to be in Toronto, though. Who could blame him? His home is Los Angeles and Toronto isn’t exactly an attractive place for NBA stars.
Nonetheless, Toronto treated him top class and took care of him and his health. They bolstered their roster and made a run for it - and they had to otherwise Masai would have traded one of the only stars who actually WANTED to play in Toronto for a one year rental. They treated him so well, and factored in with winning, he went from wanting nothing to do with Toronto 10 months ago to putting them in his final 3, and some may even say final 2 if those believe the Lakers don’t really have a chance to begin with.