Cover Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images


As I'm sure most have heard by now, Kawhi Leonard was seen for the first time in a Toronto Raptors uniform today at media day, and believe it or not, he actually cracked a smile. It barely qualified as a smile, but we're counting it.

Toronto seemed to be just about the last team in the league Leonard wanted to be dealt to. He went from requesting a trade to Los Angeles to landing in Canada, the polar opposite in more ways than one.


What's being lost in all of this is that Toronto actually has a damn good roster. Leonard is absolutely an upgrade from DeMar DeRozan on multiple levels, all of which should benefit the Raptors. 


No matter what team Leonard is on, with the exception of the Golden State Warriors and Lakers, he's probably the best player on that team. This makes him a good candidate for MVP, no matter where he plays this year and beyond. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has him with the fifth-best odds to win MVP at +900.

Leonard, along with Kyle Lowry, will be the leaders of this Raptors team again aiming to finish as the Eastern Conference's top seed, and ultimately make the finals. If the Raptors can accomplish the former, Kawhi should be right at the top of the MVP conversation. 


In terms of odds, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo all are tied at the top with +410 odds, next is James Harden at +550, and then the first big jump is to Leonard at +900.
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​If you're looking for a superstar with some semblance of value in a great situation, Leonard might just be your guy.

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David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David Kaestle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.