Boston Celtics: Kawhi Leonard in Toronto makes for a fun season

Early Wednesday morning, Kawhi Leonard was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors.  What does this big change mean for the Boston Celtics?

The Boston Celtics woke up to news that All-Star Kawhi Leonard was going to be playing within their own division next year.  The Toronto Raptors took a big swing, they traded their franchise cornerstone for a guy who wants no part of Canada!

However, I understand the reason for the move.  Toronto needed a change, and when an All-Star like Leonard becomes available, you go for it.

Plenty of people have been quick to determine that the Celtics chances to get to the NBA Finals have been hindered because of this trade.  Well guys, I wouldn’t go that far.  Yes, adding Kawhi is a great thing for Toronto.

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Guess what?  The C’s have Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward coming back next year.  Oh yeah, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum still exist.  Did I mention Brad Stevens?

Listen, Kawhi is a stud

I personally have questions about his health. I mean, I think all the NBA has questions.  If Leonard is healthy and is really playing 100%, then yeah I’d be a little uneasy.

The C’s are still the favorites and it should remain that way until proven otherwise.  We’re going to hear a lot of chatter this season about Leonard and where he’s going. Hey, he really upset the Spurs with his actions and ended up in Toronto, the exact opposite of what he wanted.

I mean DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had built chemistry, right?  So how do you build chemistry with a guy who doesn’t even want to be there?  How does first year head coach Nick Nurse bring a team together that is wary of this new superstar?

Boston has a chemistry advantage as well, and don’t think you can underestimate how important that is.

So yes, Toronto has a young bench and they can compete. They have an experienced point guard and just acquired a superstar.  They replaced their coach with someone new.  I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Next: Boston Celtics: 5 teams road blocking a 2018-19 NBA Finals berth

All I know is this Boston Celtics team is built for any challenge, and I feel really confident if this team is fully healthy.

This season’s going to be fun.