Sixers-Raptors Game 7 outcome could determine whether Kawhi Leonard re-signs with Toronto or leaves in free agency

TORONTO — It’s no secret that the Raptors are playing to keep Kawhi Leonard. The entire season, every moment of the playoffs, and Game 7 on Sunday are all part of a path Toronto is hoping they can continue on in an attempt to convince Leonard to stay in Toronto.

There’s just one problem; even if the Raptors move on, and make it to the Finals, and win it all, it might not be enough to keep Leonard from leaving.

“The most important thing in life is family and health,” Leonard said on Saturday. “Basketball is just go out there and play, do your job, have fun. That’s all you can do, leave it all on the floor.”

Leonard can leave it all on the floor and elevate a team from anywhere and this offseason he will likely be choosing between Toronto, where the Raptors can offer him $50 million more than anyone else, and Los Angeles, where both the Clippers and Lakers are expected to make compelling cases for why Leonard should choose them, including coming home.

Leonard and his long-time partner Kishele Shipley are both southern California natives and a return to the Golden State and being close to family as they raise their own family might be the only thing that really matters to Kawhi in the end.

On the other side, the 76ers are fighting to convince their own stars to stay put. Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris will also hit the free agent market this summer and to this point it looks like winning and loyalty will be the most convincing arguments the Sixers can make when they offer the pair huge contrants.

But before any of those offers and decisions have to be made the Raptors will have to face the Sixers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and there is one thing for sure, they can’t win without Leonard.

Finding the balance between the team’s need for Leonard to have a good game and relying on him to carry the team is a fine one and the Raptors are hoping they strike the balance on Sunday.

“When we struggle offensively, we tend to gravitate a lot toward him," Marc Gasol said. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We’ve still got to do the things we need to do within the 24-second shot clock.”

»READ MORE: Sixers will be facing an uphill battle against Raptors, but they are tough to bet against in Game 7 | David Murphy

Leonard has time and again proven himself as one of the most dominant two-way players in the game, and he’s done so this series, but the Raptors are certain that they won’t be able to beat the Sixers unless they offer Leonard some help.

“We’ve got a lot of good players out there who need to contribute and score,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said. “I think the opportunities have been there like crazy for them to do it, so they’re going to need to do it.”

Taking some of the pressure off of Leonard would not only be good on the court but it would also be a great way to give Toronto a little bit of momentum in the race to keep Leonard on its payroll.

NBA longevity and health are paramount to Leonard’s happiness, which was the reason for Raptors putting together a load management plan that played Leonard in just 54 regular season games. It would be harder to convince Leonard that he can stay in Toronto and have the long and healthy NBA career that he wants if the Raptors need him to shoulder the load every time things get tough.

Playing fluidly and earning wins as a team is all part of a growing process, but as Gasol said on Saturday, that might not be something the Raptors can control.

»READ MORE: Jimmy Butler says his previous Game 7 experience means nothing ahead of series finale against Raptors

“Growing, it’s not always on your terms,” he said. “You’ve got to continue to grow whether you you like how it’s going or not.”

Nurse noted that when the Raptors faced the Orlando Magic in the first round it was an opportunity to grow against one of the hotter teams in the latter part of the season. Now, in an up and down series he sees every moment as a chance for the Raptors to continue that growth, and like Gasol, he noted how difficult that process can be.

“Do we love it? Do we love these last couple days? No, we don’t,” he said. “Do we love some of the days off in-between when we got our [expletive] kicked? Not very much. But it feels like a chance to grow.”

Of course, hovering over everything is the question, what happens if the Raptors don’t win? They could lose Leonard, be a different team heading into next season after missing a chance at the Eastern Conference finals. How can the team grow if they don’t win?

“I don’t know,” Nurse said. “I won’t talk about that. I’ll talk about that later.”