"I'm Not Staying Here": Fred VanVleet Tells Story About Kawhi Leonard's First Day In Toronto

Before Kawhi Leonard began his controversy-laden stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, he had a brief but successful season with the Toronto Raptors. 

Everyone remembers how the Raptors’ 2018–19 campaign ended: Leonard delivered heroics in their series against the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, en route to a six-game conquest of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

But does anyone recall how Leonard’s stay in Toronto began? Fred VanVleet spilled the beans on that chapter of The Klaw’s career.

Appearing on “Hello and Welcome,” a Raptors-centric podcast, VanVleet talked about Leonard voicing out his feelings about Toronto from the very beginning. “He said it from day one: ‘I’m not staying here…I don’t know why they traded for me. I don’t want to be here.’”

VanVleet, who’d played three seasons with the Raptors before Leonard headed up north, pointed out the irony of the city’s warm welcome for the apparently unwilling superstar. “Toronto put their best bid in, man. The city bowed down like we’ve never seen before.”

The “best bid” put forward by the Raptors organization included beloved star DeMar DeRozan, who ended up going to the San Antonio Spurs in the deal that sent Leonard to Toronto. This exchange would yield the best possible outcome, as Leonard brought the first-ever title in the history of the Raptors franchise.

VanVleet added that he didn’t hold a grudge against Leonard for deciding to leave after that season. “His mind was made up, man. Kawhi is Kawhi,” the current Houston Rockets point guard said. “I thank him eternally for helping us win a championship and carrying us to a moment where I could be solidified and go on to make a ton of money.”

Leonard went on to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has gone only as far as the Western Conference Finals over the past six years. On the one hand, the presence of the two-time Finals MVP has certainly allowed the Clippers to retain their playoff contender status for a prolonged span. On the other hand, “presence” might be a strong word in this case, as Leonard has missed significant chunks of games throughout his stay with the team.

It’s well documented that Leonard made moves to ensure that he would land with a Clippers squad that would, more or less, do as he pleased. The Clippers haven’t won a championship thus far with Leonard, which makes it even more ironic that the latest NBA title on his resume came in a city that he didn’t want to inhabit.