A former key cog of the Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA championship team made his honest feelings known about Kawhi Leonard’s return to the franchise.
Talking to the media during Kyle Lowry’s block party, Fred VanVleet gave his real thoughts about Kawhi’s homecoming in Toronto, saying that the Raptors will definitely improve their roster in the coming season.
Ex-Raptors Star Thinks Toronto Is Dangerous With Kawhi Leonard
“I mean, listen, they didn’t get worse,” VanVleet, who is now playing for the Houston Rockets, said. “It didn’t get worse.
“I’m excited for the city. I’m excited for the organization. It’s good to see [Kawhi Leonard] back and yeah, they’ll be a damn good team, especially in the East. They’re going to be a tough out.”
Leonard and VanVleet have a shared history of winning the 2019 NBA Championship with the Raptors.
Instead of harboring resentment over Leonard’s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers following their title run, VanVleet has expressed gratitude toward him in numerous interviews since the championship, noting that Leonard’s historic, business-like playoff run changed everyone’s lives, helped secure the franchise’s first title, and solidified VanVleet’s own career trajectory to earn major contracts in the league.
To bring the two-time Finals MVP back to Canada, Toronto sent Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round draft picks (2031 and 2033), a 2027 pick swap, and two future second-round picks to Los Angeles.
Now 35 years old, Leonard joins a re-tooled, younger Raptors roster alongside rising cornerstone Scottie Barnes.
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Fred VanVleet knew Kawhi Leonard did not want to be in Toronto, but he had no choice but to be as professional as he could be.
So professional, in fact, that he led the team to their first-ever NBA championship.
“He said it from day one, I’m not staying here. So, from day one, he said, ‘I don’t know why they traded for me. I don’t want to be here. I’m not staying here.’ Now, Toronto put their best bid in, man,” VanVleet said in the Hello and Welcome podcast.
“The city bowed down as we’ve never seen before, man. And so yes, as for us regular people, we can look at it and say, man, how could you leave that? But his mind was made up, man. Kawhi is Kawhi.”
VanVleet also lauded Leonard’s self-belief. He even recalled one instance that Leonard called him “better than Kobe.”
“Kawhi [Leonard] changed my view on a lot of shi*t, but there was one thing in particular that I overheard and he didn’t say it to me, I just overheard it and it was a conversation that was being had. And the sentiment of the conversation, because I ain’t going to quote nobody, but the sentiment of the conversation was when we won the championship about all that sh*t is like, ‘I’m better than Kobe.’”
“Right? I had the same reaction because Kobe is my man. Kobe, that’s it for me. That’s as good as it gets for me as a little kid up into a man, my eyes, what I seen.”
Leonard has the accolades to claim that he is on par with Kobe after winning two NBA championships in different franchises and winning the Finals MVPs of those series.
Since Kawhi left in 2019, the Raptors have rebuilt the team with young players. Leonard now returns to recapture the magic he once had seven years ago.
Former Raptors Champion Reveals How He Feels About Kawhi Leonard’s Return