NBA Free Agency: 5 ways the Leonard-DeRozan trade will change the dynamics of the 2018-19 season

Following a saga that lasted through the majority of the 2017-18 season and this offseason so far, Kawhi Leonard has finally earned a move from the San Antonio Spurs. The disgruntled small forward was misdiagnosed with a quadriceps injury that kept flaring up every now and then, but the Spurs' medical staff were unable to find any evidence of him being unfit - handing him over to a personal team of doctors.

Following further disagreement, a players-only meeting held for the sole purpose of urging Kawhi to stage a comeback and his subsequent refusal, the 2-time Defensive Player of the Year went AWOL from all Spurs-related activities, and actively refused to establish any sort of communication with Popovich or the rest of the San Antonio Spurs' front office, stating through his group a desire to play in Los Angeles for the added exposure it would bring him.

Sure enough, Popovich wasn't about to go and strengthen his single biggest rivals since the start of his NBA career - the Lakers. This meant that Kawhi would have to look elsewhere, and the Raptors came in with the best possible offer for San Antonio.

Let's take a look at how this blockbuster trade - easily the biggest one made this offseason - changes the balance of the league and what it means for a number of affected teams.

#1 The Raptors might be favorites to make the NBA Finals this year

Just take a look at the prospective Raptors' Death lineup next year: Kyle Lowry (top 5 defender at his position), Danny Green (All-Defensive team caliber), Kawhi Leonard (2-time DPOY), OG Anunoby (Kawhi-lite) and Serge Ibaka (still a good defender). Even with a porous defender like DeMar DeRozan taking the floor for 30+ minutes every night, the Raptors were the only team to post top-5 finishes in both offensive and defensive efficiency last season.

They just received the best duo of wing defenders in the entire league - the Spurs finished with top-5 defensive efficiency rating every year when the duo started together from 2011 to 2017. The ability to switch everything in defense is a prerequisite to beating the Warriors, as the Houston Rockets demonstrated in the Western Conference Finals.

These moves push the Raptors right over the edge as a defensive team capable of making it out through the Eastern Conference. The Celtics may have more talented players than the Raptors in number, but Kawhi is the best player on either team and could be a real difference-maker on both sides of the ball in a prospective matchup.

#2 The Spurs are well-placed for a top-4 finish in the Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs v Golden State Warriors - Game Two

Gregg Popovich is still the best coach in basketball, and this move reiterates his desire to finish his head coaching career with a bang. Instead of looking for young players and high draft picks, the Spurs obtained an All-Star Game starter and a starting-caliber center in this trade, which is possibly the best return they could've expected in a trade like this.

Even without Kawhi, the Spurs relied on their impressive wing depth to finish with a healthy 47-win season and *gasp* the 7th seed in the Conference. Adding DeRozan and Poetl - two really good players in specific roles - to the mix will help them out even more.

They already have a 6'7" point guard in Dejounte Murray to take the tougher guard matchup defensively, while obtaining DeRozan adds another true playmaking scorer to their lineup - although Deebo's efficiency from downtown needs to improve for him to truly replace Kawhi offensively.

Any team with 2 All-Stars always has a chance to finish as a high seed. If the Spurs are able to figure things out as they usually do, they could end up as high as the second seed in the West.

#3 The Process hits a snag it had no control over

Philadelphia 76ers Media Day

The Philadelphia 76ers went through a long and arduous tanking process that lasted 4 years in order to obtain the 3 talents that are there in this picture, in addition to failed bets like Michael Carter-Williams and Jahlil Okafor, among others. They could have completed the process this summer by trading for Kawhi, using Robert Covington as one of the centerpieces of the trade. They were also involved in the LeBron sweepstakes, though it was clear from the start that he would probably head to the Lakers.

Having broken through last year and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs, big things were expected of their young core. A 4-1 series loss to the Celtics, however, raised some questions about what their ceiling really was, considering the Cs didn't have their two best players available for the series.

Now with Toronto strengthened for at least one season by the Kawhi trade, the Sixers may have to be content with another Conference semis loss - both Toronto and Boston are clearly better-constructed rosters as of now.

#4 The Lakers face an uphill task in the playoffs this year

2018 Las Vegas Summer League - Detroit Pistons v Los Angeles Lakers

As already stated, the Spurs are now clearly in the drivers' seat to land homecourt advantage. This puts 4 teams at a clear talent advantage when compared to the Lakers as currently constructed. The Rockets have 2 Hall of Fame playmakers in Chris Paul and James Harden, while the Thunder have managed to retain the services of Paul George to pair him with Russell Westbrook.

The Spurs now have 2 All-NBA caliber talents in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan while also landing a capable center in Jakob Poetl. This puts them at a clear advantage in comparison to the Lakers.

Other than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they do not have reliable shooting within the roster and it remains to be seen how good Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart will be as spot-up shooters. Both of their point guards are awful at long-range shooting - Rondo and Lonzo are routinely left open at the 3-point line and dared to shoot by every team in the league.

If the Lakers finish any lower than 5th, they will be susceptible to run into OKC, the Warriors or the Rockets in the first round, and will not be favorites in a series against any of them. They still don't have a reliable center on their roster, and that problem won't be going away any time soon.

#5 Both Conferences got a whole lot more interesting to watch

This trade has assembled all the ingredients for another great NBA season together. Well, we still have the Golden State Warriors as overwhelming championship favorites, but given the certainty of that, the excitement and uncertainty on who they will beat on their path were what was going to interest onlookers anyway.

We've already talked about how the Western Conference has gotten tougher to go through, but we'd be amiss if we didn't take you through the details. The Pelicans got to a 6th seeded finish last year without Boogie Cousins to end the season, while they swept the Blazers in the first round. The Blazers themselves have two absolute studs at the guard positions, while the likes of the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets have multiple, proven difference-makers on their squads. It will be another bloodbath to even make the playoffs this time around - with the added spice of an imminent regicide in the playoffs.

The Eastern Conference got better as well. The Raptors got swept last year against the Cavs, and were unable to add any substantial talent thus far. A fully-fit Kawhi Leonard is the best player in the Eastern Conference easily, and this gives them a sizeable edge over the rest of the Conference.

But they still have to navigate the improved Indiana Pacers, who have added shooting and depth to their wing rotation in the form of Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott. The Bucks have made a couple of good moves in free agency as well, as have the Wizards. Getting through any of these teams in the first round may prove to be just as difficult as any challenge they have faced in 5 years of postseason showings.