Heading into the offseason, the Toronto Raptors were hopeful that they had done enough to keep Kawhi Leonard on the team. They had just won their first championship in franchise history and with Leonard on the team, they had a real opportunity to dominate the Eastern Conference for years to come. In the end, Leonard decided to go back home to Los Angeles and play for the Clippers. While Raptors fans were sad at the decision, they were pretty understanding and are already claiming Kawhi as the best player in franchise history.
Leonard's decision directly affects head coach Nick Nurse, who now has to figure out what to do with his depleted squad which also lost Danny Green. ESPN's Rachel Nichols recently spoke to Nurse who explained where he was and what he did when he found out Kawhi would no longer be a Raptor.
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"Just ran into Raptors Coach Nick Nurse at Summer League - he told me he was watching a Prince impersonator at the Tropicana when the text came in about Kawhi choosing the Clippers," Nichols wrote. "He said he read it, shrugged and figured he might as well stay & enjoy the rest of the show."
In just his first year as a head coach, Nurse was able to take home his first NBA title, although now, Leonard has replaced him with Doc Rivers.
