Toronto Raptors fans finally heard from Kawhi Leonard on Monday.
It’s the first time Leonard, who — along with Danny Green — was acquired in a trade with San Antonio for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a draft pick, spoke about his arrival in Toronto. He came a day before the Raptors open training camp in Vancouver.
While the team’s newest superstar mostly said all the right things during his introductory news conference, it was the way the 27-year-old Leonard said it that should concern the franchise and its fans.
While the soft-spoken Leonard repeatedly said he was “excited” to be in Toronto, he didn’t make us believe it.
At one point, Leonard was asked by Global’s Alan Carter if he wanted to play in Toronto and make a home in the city.
Leonard answered: “I want to play here. As long as I have a jersey, I want to play basketball. I came here with an open mind. I want to do great things so I’m going to make sure I put in a full effort on the court each and every night.”
When he was asked again if he planned to make a long-term commitment to Toronto, Leonard said it’s a “day-to-day process,” adding that his focus is on this year.
He also said being healthy is his “No. 1 goal,” which is understandable given the leg injury that virtually wiped out his season last year, but the NBA player added that he wants to “be dominant wherever I land.”
Wherever he lands?
Like it or not, Leonard will be dogged by these questions until the end of the season, when he can opt out of his contract and go to whichever team he wants.
Realistically, months from now, we could hear Leonard talk about how excited he is to be suiting up with another team.