​Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty ImagesSports analyst Rachel Nichols points out the domino effect of Kawhi Leonard leaving the Toronto Raptors in 2019.In 2019, Kawhi Leonard was in the absolute prime of his NBA career, and he was among the hottest commodities in the league.After all, Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to a sensational NBA Championship run, winning the first-ever title for the organization.But instead of re-signing with the Raptors, Leonard decided to take his talents to the LA Clippers. Fast forward to 2026, and Leonard has officially been traded back to the Raptors.Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesKawhi Leonard’s decision to join LA Clippers changed the NBA, says Rachel NicholsIn light of the Klaw’s return to Toronto, FOX Sports analyst Rachel Nichols urged NBA fans to take a second, and digest the sheer impact of Kawhi’s decision to leave the Raptors in 2019.“Now that Kawhi is heading right back where he started before LA signed him, it’s bonkers to think about how much of recent NBA History would have changed had he instead just stayed with the Raptors the whole time.“Shai never goes to OKC, which makes it much less likely the Thunder win the title. Does Indiana have it instead? The Clippers have Shai, plus their picks,” Nichols wrote on X.She added, “Paul George likely goes somewhere else. Kyle Lowry likely stays in Toronto. Oh and none of us would have ever known what Aspiration was.“Obviously you can ‘what if’ every transaction, but the circular nature of a player just going right back to where he came from – especially this player, and all that came with him – makes all of this particularly brain frying.”Of course, as Nichols mentioned, there is a world where all of these moves happen with or without Leonard arriving in LA.But he was definitely the catalyst behind so many major incidents in the league since 2019. Now, Leonard will likely hope to put his salary cap circumvention fiasco behind him and spend his twilight years in Toronto.Read more:Danilo Gallinari launches scathing attack on Kawhi Leonard and makes bold $50m claim‘Fleeing the country’ – NBA fans react as Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Raptors agreed by both teamsRead full statement as Steve Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers accept responsibility and apologise