Former NBA MVP Steve Nash among those curious about what Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors can do

After one of the most turbulent off-seasons in recent NBA history, count Steve Nash as one influential voice who was relieved to see the league come down heavily on the Los Angeles Clippers in the Kawhi Leonard affair.

The Hall of Fame Canadian point guard turned broadcaster – set to begin his second year as an analyst for Prime’s NBA coverage on Thursday night – was pleased that the league left zero doubt as to its tolerance of any form salary-cap circumvention. The Clippers forfeited five first-round draft picks and US$30-million in cash after the conclusion of the league’s investigation into paying Leonard under the table for his services.

“We don’t want to jeopardize the spirit of our sport and our league,” said Nash, twice named the NBA’s most valuable player. “So it was fair and important for the league to take a stand. And whether you think it was enough, not enough, I think the motive by the league was to keep the integrity of the game, and I think that was well messaged.”

The biggest beneficiaries of that decision, of course, were the Toronto Raptors, who were able to complete the trade with the Clippers to bring Leonard back to Canada. Despite pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to the limit in a seven-game first-round loss last year, many of Toronto’s young core players lacked that all-important postseason experience.

Adding Leonard, the MVP of the Raptors’ 2019 finals win, to that mix can only help a still-young team. Even with the addition of the 35-year-old Leonard, the Raptors begin the new season with a roster tied for the sixth-youngest in the NBA.

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The key question around Leonard – as always – is his health, but as Nash contends, after playing 65 games in Los Angeles last season, the seven-time all-star is as healthy as he’s been in a while. Either way, Leonard’s high basketball IQ should allow the fit to be almost seamless.

“Being a focal point there when needed, but also being able to blend in offensively when he doesn’t have the ball, I think is a real asset to the Raptors,” Nash said. “So, just an elite two-way player who last year proved he’s still playing at a very elite level.”

Nash, like pretty much every Raptors fan in the country, is eagerly looking forward to see how Leonard dovetails with burgeoning superstar Scottie Barnes. The addition of the two-time finals MVP should help take some of the attention away from Barnes, who tied RJ Barrett for the team lead in playoff scoring.

“The matchup nightmare with Kawhi out there, and him either playmaking or playing off Kawhi, I think it makes Scottie much more difficult to contend with,” Nash said.

Last season, the New York Knicks managed to emerge from what Nash called a “really deep” Eastern Conference, and carried that momentum into winning their first NBA championship in 53 years. That said, he sees no reason why the Raptors can’t be in the conversation come the spring, particularly given the team’s commitment to the defensive side of the ball during last year’s playoffs.

He pointed to the breakout season that Collin Murray-Boyles had, nearly doubling his per-game point production in the playoffs. The forward was named to the NBA all-rookie second team, as an example of how quickly this roster can make a jump.

“I think it really gives them an opportunity to build a team that can be very formidable at both ends,” Nash said of all the pieces at Toronto’s disposal. “I’m very curious to see if they stay healthy how far they can climb into the middle of that playoff pack in the East? Higher? Are they at the bottom, but can cause people problems?”

Enjoying his own sophomore season on the air, Nash is proving to be a quick study in the art of broadcasting, once again lining up alongside good friend Dirk Nowitzki. It was the German legend, who played six seasons alongside Nash as part of his 21 with the Dallas Mavericks, who actually persuaded Nash to pick up a microphone.

Given that Nash had done arguably everything else in the basketball world – since retiring as a player in 2014, he’s been an NBA head coach and consultant, and general manager for the Canadian national team – it was in many ways a natural progression.

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“I hadn’t actually had it on my radar to be honest,” Nash said. “Then Dirk, who’s a close friend … was saying he was going to do it, and he kind of pushed me to try it.”

Appearing alongside Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker and former Raptor Kyle Lowry, among others, Nash adds that being part of a studio team involves teeing up and assisting his fellow panelists, just like during his career, when he dished out 10,335 assists for the sixth highest total in NBA history.

But the biggest thrill for Nash is learning the ropes alongside Nowitzki.

“It’s been fun I think for us to focus on learning a new craft and go through that together,” he said. “It’s similar in a way to us going to Dallas his rookie year, my third year in the league, trying to earn our stripes and prove that we’re NBA players.”

The other thing that Nash has learned is what to say, and increasingly, what not to say. As someone who has a long history of speaking out on social and political issues throughout his playing career in particular, whether discussing his white privilege or wearing an anti-war T-shirt during the 2003 All-Star Game to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq that year, Nash said he’s more likely to pick his spots these days.

“I think as you get older, you have a little bit less spit and vinegar, a little bit less, what’s the word, need to rally against injustice, so to speak,” he says. “But maybe we become a little bit cold to some of it, rightly or wrongly.

“But I would say it just depends. A lot of social issues still mean a tremendous amount to me. I think it comes with a very topical era.”