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All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, introduced by the Toronto Raptors on Monday, said he wanted to focus on this season, not on his future.
"I want to play here," said Leonard. "I came with an open mind, I want to do great things … focus on this year, if you look to the future you will stumble over the present."
Asked about his long-term goals, Leonard, who described himself as a "fun guy," said he planned to "make a long career in good health, be happy where I land."
Leonard, twice defender of the year, was traded to the Raptors on July 18 by the San Antonio Spurs. The Raptors sent the guard DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Poeltl and a first-round draft pick in 2019 in San Antonio for Leonard and veteran Danny Green.
Leonard has only played nine games with the Spurs last season due to an injury to a quad. His relationship with the team was tense and, at the end of the season, he said he wanted to leave the only team he had played for.
New Raptor coach Nick Nurse said he had no conversations with the Spurs about what went wrong last season. Nurse said that all that mattered to him was that Leonard "be serious about winning".
Leonard burst a rare smile as he was introduced. Asked to talk a little about himself, he said, "I'm a fun guy, obviously, I love basketball, I mean, there are just more questions to ask myself. not give you a spiel about me. "
Asked about his reaction to his arrival in Toronto, Leonard said, "Excited, I'm coming to a great city that loves basketball."
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