Hindi pa rin umano nawawalan ng pag-asa ang Toronto Raptors na magbubunga ang kanilang panunuyo kay NBA star Kawhi Leonard na manatili sa kanilang team.
Nakatakda na kasing matapos ang kontrata ni Leonard sa Raptors sa katapusan ng buwan kaya libre na rin itong pag-aagawan ng iba pang mga koponan.
Ayon kay Toronto backup guard Fred VanVleet, ginawa na raw ng franchise ang lahat upang makumbinsi ang two-time NBA Finals MVP na huwag munang umalis sa Raptors.
Sakali namang hindi nila mabago ang isip ni Leonard, wala raw silang magagawa pero kanilang igagalang ang kanyang magiging pasya.
Nagbiro rin si VanVleet na kanila raw tatalunin si Leonard sakaling ibang uniporme na ang suot nito sa susunod na season.
“I think for us, there is nothing more that we can do,” VanVleet said. “We’ve done it. The city has done it. This franchise had done it. The coaches have done it. My teammates have done it. We’ve done our job. The best way to recruit somebody is to just be yourself over the course of the year, and I would assume that he knows what is here and what makes this place special.
“If it’s enough then it’s enough. If it’s not then it’s not. … We would all love for him to be back and if he’s not then we will move on from there. It’s not the biggest deal in the world. He came here and did what he was supposed to do. So he brought this city a championship and I think he has earned his freedom and his career to do what he wants to do and we’ll all respect him and admire him.”
Sa panig naman ni Raptors coach Nick Nurse, inamin nito na dalawang beses na raw silang nagpulong ni general manager Bobby Webster tungkol sa kanilang hinaharap.
Sinabi ni Nurse, magdodoble-kayod daw sila upang makuhang muli ang two-time champion na posibleng bigyan nila ng magandang kontrata.
“I know’s he’s got to make a decision here really soon, couple of weeks. I think he had a good season and people like him here, and we can give him a good deal,” ani Nurse.
Maliban sa Los Angeles Clippers na matagal nang nababanggit na posibleng destinasyon ni Leonard, interesado rin kay Leonard ang Lakers, at New York Knicks.
