{"id":847085,"date":"2026-08-05T14:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T14:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847085\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T14:46:14","slug":"hes-a-magnet-jeremy-lin-says-kawhi-leonard-could-transform-raptors-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/847085\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He\u2019s a magnet\u2019: Jeremy Lin says Kawhi Leonard could transform Raptors again"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last time the Toronto Raptors<\/a> brought in Kawhi Leonard, Jeremy Lin experienced a team reaching the mountaintop.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leonard arrived as the missing piece of a title contender and left as the face of the franchise\u2019s first NBA championship.<\/p>\n

Now, as the Raptors pursue a reunion with Leonard, Lin believes the star forward could once again have a dramatic impact on the organization \u2014 even if he doesn\u2019t view Toronto as an immediate favourite in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a ripple effect,\u201d Lin said in a recent interview. \u201cI mean, imagine that championship team without him, right? He\u2019s a magnet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lin was part of Toronto\u2019s 2018-19 title-winning squad, a team that combined Leonard\u2019s all-around dominance with a deep, veteran roster to deliver one of the most memorable playoff runs in NBA history.<\/p>\n

The Raptors’ proposed trade for Leonard is on hold while the NBA investigates allegations the Clippers circumvented the salary cap through an endorsement arrangement involving Leonard and the now-bankrupt financial technology company Aspiration. The Clippers have denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

Lin said a return to Toronto would provide a fitting conclusion to the next chapter of Leonard\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope it happens. I hope it\u2019s all clear with the investigation,\u201d said the former NBA guard, who spoke to The Canadian Press last week promoting ARC World, an annual Asian Roots Collective festival and celebrity basketball game in Markham, Ont.<\/p>\n

\u201cHim ending his career in Toronto would be the best ending for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old Leonard would be joining a young Raptors team led by all-star forward Scottie Barnes and a core that includes Canadian shooting guard RJ Barrett and standout sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles.<\/p>\n

The pending deal would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a 2027 pick swap and two second-round picks to the Clippers for Leonard.<\/p>\n

Lin said Leonard\u2019s impact on a team extends far beyond his scoring numbers, having witnessed it firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe makes everybody\u2019s lives easier,” he said. “Because Kawhi is on the floor, everyone else\u2019s shots will be easier. Everyone will get cleaner looks. Everyone\u2019s drives to the basket will be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lin compared Leonard\u2019s ability to alter a team\u2019s fortunes to that of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, saying elite players can reshape an organization simply by being on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he is on the floor or when he is in an organization, everything shifts,\u201d Lin said. \u201cAll the power shifts. Your ceiling drastically increases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while playing in 65 games with the Clippers last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While his return could raise Toronto\u2019s expectations, Lin stopped short of calling the Raptors a favourite in the East. Instead, he sees them as a team capable of disrupting the conference hierarchy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think with a Kawhi, I think they\u2019re the dark horse,\u201d Lin said. \u201cI don\u2019t see them as a favourite. I don\u2019t see them as more of a favourite than maybe New York or maybe now Philly and Cleveland.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Lin said Toronto would be among the teams he would least want to face in the post-season.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiami and Toronto are kind of two teams I don\u2019t really want to see in the playoffs,\u201d he said. \u201cThey could do anything. They could go very far.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Lin, that confidence comes from Leonard\u2019s ability to dominate on both ends of the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can single-handedly win you games,\u201d Lin said. \u201cHe can single-handedly defend and stop the other team\u2019s best players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lin was careful not to speculate on the ongoing NBA investigation, saying he has no inside information about the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t speak outside what I understand, which is, you know, my scope into the entire investigation is nothing,\u201d Lin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The last time the Toronto Raptors brought in Kawhi Leonard, Jeremy Lin experienced a team reaching the mountaintop.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-847085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}