Fred VanVleet sheds light on Kawhi Leonard's Raptors tenure

Toronto acquired the former Defensive Player of the Year in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and forward Kawhi Leonard walk to the bench. | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

It's been just over seven years since the Toronto Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs that completely rewrote the story of the franchise's history.

The trade was the catalyst behind the Raptors' 2019 NBA Finals run, which ended in the franchise's first championship. It cost a pretty penny to trade for Leonard, as the Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl to the San Antonio Spurs.

It was also a risk because Leonard was on a one-year contract and was hitting free agency in the summer. Fred VanVleet shared in an episode of the "Hello and Welcome Podcast" that the Raptors knew Leonard wouldn't be staying long in Toronto.

“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.

"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.”

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard and Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Leonard made Raptors intentions clear from the start

Leonard stayed true to his word. After the Raptors won the championship, Leonard opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he has played until this day.

The Raptors are fortunate they got a ring out of the trade because if they didn't and let Leonard walk after the season, they would have been viewed as a big loser in the deal. However, they came out on top in six games against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors and the 2019 team will be forever known as champions.

Sometimes it takes a roll of the dice in the NBA to get over the hump, and the Raptors learned that the easy way. Looking back at VanVleet's comments, it definitely adds to the intensity of the risk the Raptors were taking, but they probably knew they didn't have a shot at re-signing him when he didn't agree to a contract extension upon arrival.

In the meantime, the Raptors are back in action on Thursday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET inside the Fiserv Forum. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.