In a riveting revelation on First Take, DeMar DeRozan shared his belief with Stephen A. Smith that the Toronto Raptors could have still emerged victorious in the 2019 NBA Finals even if they had never acquired Kawhi Leonard. The conversation broached the topic of LeBron James being the Raptors’ “kryptonite” in past postseasons, prompting DeRozan to reflect on what could have been if LeBron had left the Eastern Conference.
“Yeah, never to discredit those guys––they won it, they deserve it. I finally had gotten to a point where I was happy for them. But for sure, I definitely feel like that. The only person we couldn’t beat was LeBron, that’s just what it was. And I felt, off the year we had before, we just needed one more piece to kind of push over the top, and that piece came to be LeBron going to the West. I didn’t get an opportunity to see what would’ve happened, but the utmost confidence within myself, I have no doubt in my mind the same outcome would have happened.”
DeRozan’s contemplation stems from the Raptors’ history of being thwarted by LeBron’s Cavaliers in the playoffs, a trend that plagued them in the Eastern Conference Finals and semifinals. While it remains speculative, DeRozan firmly believes that Toronto had the potential to reach the mountaintop without the seismic trade that sent him to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Leonard.
The scenario posited by DeRozan opens a window into what could have been for the Raptors, allowing fans and analysts alike to mull over the tantalizing “what if” of a potential championship run with the core intact. As DeRozan eloquently put it, the confidence in his abilities and the team’s collective prowess leaves no room for doubt that they could have replicated the success witnessed in the 2019 Finals. The allure of alternate timelines and missed opportunities only serves to deepen the intrigue surrounding this hypothetical saga in NBA history.
