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SPORTS Wednesday 26 June 2019
Raptors president ‘confident’ Leonard will return to champs

By IAN HARRISON there’ll be constant com- said. Ujiri said little about his
Associated Press munication.” confrontation with a dep-
TORONTO (AP) — Still ab- Center Marc Gasol also uty following the Game 6
sorbing the magnitude of has a player option for next clincher.
his team’s accomplish- season, and guard Danny The deputy’s lawyer, David
ment, Raptors President Green is a free agent. Mastagni, says his client is
Masai Ujiri is confident “I think they know what on medical leave with a
Kawhi Leonard and the the effect of Kawhi’s deci- concussion and jaw injury
rest of Toronto’s core will sion is, but we’re really ap- and is considering a law-
reunite next season in a bid proaching it like we want to suit.
for another title. bring everybody back on Ujiri says his lawyers are up-
“We’re on to the next issue, this team,” Ujiri said. “That’s dating him about the inves-
which for us is coming back a priority for us.” tigation.
and being champions Less urgent is a potential Asked to address reports
again,” Ujiri said Tuesday extension for forward Pas- linking him to NBA job of-
in his first news conference cal Siakam, a runaway win- fers, Ujiri stresses that his
since Toronto won its first Toronto Raptors NBA basketball team president Masai Ujiri ner of the NBA’s Most Im- family loves Toronto.
title nearly two weeks ago. speaks to the media during an end-of-season press conference proved Player award. The “My kids are Canadians,”
“We want to experience in Toronto, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. At left is the Larry O’Brien parties plan to meet during he said.
this moment here again Trophy. the summer league. “For me, the blessing is be-
and again and again.” Associated Press “Pascal has gotten to a ing wanted here and find-
Retaining Leonard is the not worried about how I talked to his uncle this place where he’s definitely ing a place that makes you
most pressing issue. The long Leonard takes to de- morning,” Ujiri said. “For us, a priority for us and it’s defi- happy and finding chal-
two-time finals MVP is ex- cide. there’s that trust regardless nitely going to be a conver- lenges that really make you
pected to opt out of the fi- “I texted Kawhi last night, of wherever it goes, and sation that we’ll have,” Ujiri grow as a person.”q
nal year of his contract and
become a free agent. To-
ronto can offer a five-year
deal worth about $190 mil-
lion — one year and some
$50 million more than any
other team.
“I know what we’ve built
here,” Ujiri said. “I’m con-
fident, and you see how
these things go.”
Ujiri stressed the main sell-
ing points of his pitch to
Leonard: health, trust, suc-
cess.
“I said we have to be our-
selves, and we were our-
selves for the whole year,”
Ujiri said. “I think he saw
that. I think we built a trust
there.
“I believe winning a cham-
pionship, him seeing who
we are, working with his
medical staff combined
with our medical staff and
getting him to where he
wanted to be,” Ujiri added.
Injured for all but nine
games in his final season
with San Antonio, Leonard
played 60 games this sea-
son and another 24 in the
playoffs. After averaging
career bests of 26.6 points
and 7.3 rebounds in the
regular season, Leonard
raised his averages to 30.5
and 9.1 in the playoffs.
Ujiri says he and Leonard
have had multiple talks the
past several days, discus-
sions he called “positive.”
The Raptors will stay in
touch and meet formally
once free agency begins
Sunday. After that, Ujiri is