Raptors president hopeful team will resign Leonard: ‘He had a great experience here’

Masai Ujiri said Tuesday that he is "confident" Kawhi Leonard will re-sign with Toronto. But the Raptors president acknowledged "Kawhi is his own man" and said the organization would respect whatever decision the free agent makes.

By Momin Qureshi, News Staff

When you think back to Masai Ujiri’s season ending press conference a year ago, it’s almost impossible to believe the Toronto Raptors are NBA champions.

Closing out the 2018 season the Raptors had just been swept out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers and big changes were about to come for the team.

Ujiri fired Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey, replacing him with relative unknown Nick Nurse, and then he traded away his perennial All-Star DeMar DeRozan for the injured and questionable Kawhi Leonard.

But it all worked out and it doesn’t look like Ujiri is anywhere close to done if his comments from Tuesday’s year-end conference are any indication.

“I truly believe we will win some more, I have no doubt in my mind,” Ujiri said from the OVO Athletic Centre.

“When you taste it, you want to do it over and over again,” he added. “That experience of the playoffs and seeing the intensity and the roller coaster, there’s nothing like it and you want to keep experiencing that.”

Ujiri still has one major task left though — trying to convince Leonard to resign with the Raptors.


The free agent negotiating period opens on June 30, and Ujiri is hopeful the Raptors dramatic ascent to champions will help secure Leonard.

“I think he had a great experience here and he won a championship here.”

“We will respect his decision,” he said. “I’ve had very good meetings with him the last few days.

“Here’s our player and he’s a superstar on our team and in the league and we will continue to wait on (his decision).”

While Leonard’s future remains the subject of heavy speculation, Ujiri has made it clear that for now at least, Toronto is home.

“For me it’s always been about Toronto,” he said. “I love it here, my family loves it here, my wife loves it here.”

“For me the blessing is being wanted here and finding a place that makes you happy and finding challenges that really make you grow as a person. And this place has made me grow as a person and I identify with this place and I love it so in my mind I’m here.”

WATCH: Ujiri’s full press conference from the OVO Athletic Centre

While Ujiri was candid and open about the basketball season, he didn’t have much to say about allegations that he assaulted a sheriff’s deputy  following his team’s championship win in Oakland.

The alleged incident happened after the officer denied Ujiri access to the court “because he didn’t have the proper credentials,” The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Some eyewitness reports absolved Ujiri of blame, but the incident is still under investigation.

“My lawyers are updating me,” he said. “With that incident I’m going to respect what the process is there and the investigation and I’m confident about who I am as a person, my character, and as a human being, so for now I’ll just respect their process there and wait for the next steps.”

“I’m gong to leave all my accounts until the whole investigation is done. I think that’s the fair way and the right way to operate when things like this do happen. I respect authority and I’ll wait till that happens.”

He also touched on the shooting that injured four at Nathan Phillips Square during the Raptors NBA Championship fan rally, saying “his heart goes out” to those affected.

“I was going to come out with a statement but I thought I’d wait until today,” he said. “I will reach out to them eventually and I know our organization has already. That was a very unfortunate situation.”

As for complaints that the championship parade was poorly organized, Ujiri says he’s hopeful there will be more chances to iron out the wrinkles.

“You make mistakes when you do things for the first time and I think my feeling and my hope is there are more championships so we can correct that.”

 

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today