The Kawhi Leonard trade gave the Raptors their championship ceiling. The Marc Gasol trade ensured the Raptors could reach it.
A tug-of-war had dominated the Raptors’ on-court product all season long in the lead up to the February 7th trade deadline. Kawhi Leonard would do his ISO thing for a possession or two, then Kyle Lowry would push the pace, looking to recapture the Culture Reset™ magic that powered the Raptors to 59 wins in 2017-18. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Toronto’s offense was still among the league’s most potent, and wins weren’t exactly hard to come by, but something felt a little off.