Serge Ibaka reveals how he felt when Kawhi Leonard left the Raptors in 2019 after championship win

The Raptors had immense potential if Leonard stayed

After the 2019 championship, the Raptors remained one of the best teams in the league due to their talented core. Toronto had a 53-19 record in the regular season, finishing second to the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks.

This team consisted mostly of the core from the 2019 championship, and having Leonard could have propelled them to another NBA title. The Raptors lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.

That could have changed if they had Leonard. His former Raptors teammate Serge Ibaka feels they had a chance to win one or even two more championships.

“Yeah, man, I don’t like to talk about it. I didn’t try to actually recruit him because I didn’t believe it. I thought he was going to stay. I didn’t think he was going to leave, actually,” Ibaka said on Hello and Welcome.

“I was like, we’ve just won the championship, we have a great team, you know, he can take as many off games as he wants to, the team’s still going to win without him.”

“I was like, we’ve just won the championship, we have a great team, you know, he can take as many off games as he wants to, the team’s still going to win without him… So I didn’t really think Kawhi’s going to leave. I was like, we’ve just won, who does that? If he doesn’t leave, two more.”

Leonard possibly missed out on a better legacy

Leonard left the Raptors to join the Los Angeles Clippers, a team he still plays for today. Unfortunately, he has not replicated the success he experienced with the Spurs and the Raptors.

The two-time Finals MVP wanted to return to California, the state where he grew up. That was a fair decision, but he might have had a better career and legacy if he had stayed with the Raptors.

Of course, Leonard has struggled with a litany of injuries through the years during his Clippers stint. However, a return to Toronto would have been better for his resume in hindsight.

Ibaka’s feelings about the move are valid, as almost everyone knew the Raptors had a solid team. The 2019 championship and its follow-up campaign were superb, but it was not meant to be. Thankfully, he still has a strong reputation as a winner.