@FlameRaptorRaven
The Raptors’ 2nd Greatest What If
What if Kawhi never left after 2019? It’s the easy choice for greatest Raptors what if. However, at the very beginning of their franchise, they were very close to having a top-20 player ever join their team. When the Raptors came into the NBA, their first GM was an interesting choice, Isiah Thomas. This is when Zeke had just retired as one of the most celebrated players ever. He had the dubious task of going through the expansion draft and then making the Raptors’ first ever draft pick in 1995. According to Zeke himself, he wanted to create a new position called the Raptor 2. The Raptor 2 would basically be a Power Forward with guard skills surrounded by a bunch of bigger guards who can give him pin-downs while also providing pin-downs for those skilled guards. Which player was was meant for this position? Kevin Garnett. The first time Zeke saw Garnett play, he said “That’s our Raptor 2”. KG was still in high school at the time, which led to Zeke approaching KG and suggesting that Garnett could go straight to the NBA out of high school, a fact that KG confirmed himself. On top of that, the Raptors used their 1st overall expansion pick on BJ Armstrong in hopes the Washington Bullets would take him in a trade for the 4th overall pick alongside the Raptors’ 7th overall pick. KG was their guy. So why didn’t it happen? There was a lot of skepticism around KG, mainly because he was going to be the first high school player drafted in decades so GMs were unsure what to think. The Timberwolves’ GM Kevin McHale apparently approached Zeke, a good friend of his, and asked what he thought of KG. Zeke basically said he would take KG if he was available. That response is at least part of what convinced the Timberwolves to take KG with their 5th overall pick. It wasn’t all bad. Zeke took Damon Stoudamire who won rookie of the year and selected Marcus Camby and Tracy McGrady in subsequent drafts. Still, it’s not what could’ve been. We missed out on some incredible hoops.
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