Few players are under as much pressure as Kawhi Leonard entering this NBA season. A fresh start with the Toronto Raptors sees Leonard trying to put his controversial past behind him. Media members wanting to ask about Kawhi’s punishment for breaking salary cap rules with the Los Angeles Clippers got shut down right away.
Leonard opened his Raptors media day press conference with the following message:
“Hey, everyone. Thanks for coming. I know I’m excited to be here. I know why some of you guys came. You want to hear about the investigation, but talking with the NBA and the PA, I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time being a Toronto Raptor.
I already was a distraction for the past 70 days and wasn’t able to meet my teammates, do any of that mini-camp stuff with them. So moving forward, I just want to talk about the Toronto Raptors today. They released a statement that you can go back to and look at. Like I said, I just want to focus on basketball again and being a Toronto Raptor.”
Kawhi wanted to only discuss things pertaining to the Raptors’ upcoming season. Despite the Clippers’ punishment being a massive story, Leonard got away without having to discuss it. Kawhi instead focused on praising teammates Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
Kawhi Leonard Planned This With League Officials
The most interesting aspect of Leonard’s quote is that he acknowledged talking with the league and the player’s association. All parties agreed he wouldn’t discuss the Clippers after he was officially traded for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick.
Kawhi seemingly got away with breaking the rules with a light punishment of a fine. The Clippers losing five draft picks will see Leonard never having to address that now. Steve Ballmer and the Clippers franchise are left answering all questions with minimal hope.
Things have progressed for Kawhi to pretend this didn’t happen and put it fully behind him. The Raptors traded for Leonard to bring back the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. Toronto is the only market expected to cheer Kawhi to make it logical why he wanted to return.
Will Clippers Fans Boo Kawhi Leonard?
The next question for this saga will play out when the Raptors visit the Clippers in the season. Leonard is up there with Chris Paul and Bob McAdoo among the greatest players in franchise history.
However, the way that Kawhi left the Clippers in basketball hell has turned him into a villain for the fan base. Leonard refusing to speak about them now will only make that hostile feeling even worse.
Clippers fans will most likely boo Kawhi loudly and heckle him with chants when he’s back. The way that Leonard handled this situation also is going to block a future jersey retirement. Clippers fans are entering this season hoping that rookie Keaton Wagler can save the season after Kawhi set the franchise on fire. Leonard is hoping to distance himself from this and become relevant for title contention this season.
Kawhi Leonard Refuses To Speak About Clippers At Media Day