The name of the game for the past few years has been to keep the window open for as long as possible and hope that LeBron James eventually leaves the East. It started to feel like Toronto was treading water, not good enough to win it all but a consistent member of the playoffs.
That changes now. This trade flat-out knocks the wall down. If the Toronto Raptors manage to re-sign Kawhi Leonard they will remain contenders for the duration of his tenure, he makes the team that good.
The Raptors were always going to be around the upper echelons of the Eastern Conference this season, but you can argue that this team is now the premiere team in the East.