Toronto Raptors · Franchise era 6 of 7
The championship bet: the Toronto Raptors story
The story in one sentence
Toronto traded a beloved star for Leonard and was rewarded with the 2019 championship, then defended the title proudly after his departure.
One fearless trade delivers the title
Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the barnes rebuild.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2018–19
What came before
Toronto won five straight 48-plus-win seasons and reached the 2016 conference finals, even as LeBron repeatedly ended its postseason.
- 14TradeJuly 18, 2018
July 18, 2018
Toronto's one-year Kawhi Leonard championship wager
The Raptors exchanged continuity and a beloved star for a player coming off a lost season with only one guaranteed contract year.
To TOR
To SAS20191STround assetKawhi to TorontoTOR receives Kawhi Leonard, Danny GreenSAS receives DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, Protected 2019 Toronto first5 original assets · 2 outcomes tracedOpen trade → 2019
Eastern Conference Finals: Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks
2019
NBA Finals: Toronto Raptors vs Golden State Warriors
2020
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics
After 2019–20
What came next
The Tampa season disrupted the old core, and Barnes's arrival eventually became the foundation for a younger, more flexible roster.
The core