The NBA's slap on the wrist of Kawhi Leonard after their investigation into the LA Clippers instantly makes way for a new obstacle to emerge in the Eastern Conference for the Miami Heat: the Toronto Raptors.
That's because once Kawhi pays his $700,000 fine, he'll be cleared to start the season running in Toronto. No suspension. Nothing. Instead, it's the Clippers who took the hammer and the brunt of the punishment.
For the Heat, that means they need to mentally prepare for another serious threat from the Raptors. Looking at the Eastern Conference, the Heat will have some pretty strong competition heading into the start of the season.
The Raptors only add to the stiff compeition for the Heat in the East
So not only does the Heat have to create chemistry and cohesiveness on the fly, but they also have to prepare for what many believe will be stiff competition in the East.
Realistically, there are roughly 10 teams (New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, and Heat) that will be battling for a top-6 seed in the East. And that's assuming there isn't a surprise team set to emerge this season in the conference.
If that's not the defintion of a much stronger conference, I'm not sure what is.
And after the Knicks, Pistons, Cavs, and Sixers, there's reason to believe that the Raptors are going to be in that next group of teams (likely where the Heat will be initially grouped in) trying to cement themselves as legit contenders.
As you'd expect, Kawhi is a big reason why. Even though there are real questions about his durability at this point in his career, there's no question that he remains one of the best two-way players in the league when he's healthy.
At least to start the season, the overwhelming expectation is that he will be healthy. With no suspension coming.
Fair or not, Silver's ruling on Kawhi and the Clippers will impact the Heat. And that's perfectly fine. This is not to say that the Heat were hoping for a Kawhi suspension to make their lives easier this season, but the light ruling does make life slightly more difficult (and right away) for the Heat.
It just goes to show the level of impact that this type of ruling has on the rest of the league. Not to mention how (objectively) soft it looks from Silver.
Nevertheless, as the Heat prepares for this new season, the Raptors shouldn't be overlooked by any means. The fact that the Kawhi trade is going to go through, and that there won't be any suspension tied to it, only adds to that narrative. And it's certainly one the Heat should be mindful of.
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