Raptors in contact, having 'positive' conversations with Kawhi Leonard: report

One day after it was reported that Kawhi Leonard was not interested in playing in Toronto, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reports that the two camps held productive dialogue on Wednesday. “All conversations (were) positive, forward-looking,” according to Grange, who notes the Raptors had spoken to Leonard privately.

The news follows a tumultuous day for the Raptors’ faithful, which saw fan-favourite DeMar DeRozan shipped out of town for a superstar who was reportedly mulling the idea of not reporting to Toronto. DeRozan, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, was sent to San Antonio along with Jakob Poeltl and a protected first-round pick.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski cleared the air on Wednesday evening, reporting that Kawhi was warming up to the idea of playing in the north, but Grange’s report is almost a sure sign that Leonard will be present when training camp begins in the fall.

Leonard was limited to just nine games last season due to a severely injured quad, but he was reported to be nearing 100% health back in June. He courted controversy when his treatment went longer than expected, creating a noticeable rift with the Spurs organization.

Leonard had reportedly sought a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers before he was eventually dealt to the Raptors.

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