While Toronto Raptors fans were disappointed to see Kawhi Leonard depart the organization, his teammates weren't surprised whatsoever. Toronto celebrated the Raptors' championship in 2019, before attention quickly turned to Leonard's future with the team. The ensuing hoopla reached a fever pitch, with the LA Clippers, LA Lakers, and Raptors reportedly in the running to sign him. The Raptors did all they could to keep him, but former teammate Fred VanVleet wasn't surprised in the least that he left. "He said it from day one. 'I'm not staying here,'" VanVleet said on the Hello and Welcome podcast . "From day one, 'I don't know why they traded for me. I don't want to be here. I'm not staying here.'" Many Raptors fans felt it easier to forgive Leonard over his decision given the effort he put forth on the court during his lone season in Toronto. VanVleet, who is now a member of the Houston Rockets organization, seems to feel the same. "As for us regular people, we can look at it and say, 'Man, how could you leave that?' But his mind was made up, Kawhi is Kawhi. I thank him eternally for helping us win a championship and carrying us to a moment to where I could be solidified and go on to make a ton of money. We're forever indebted to him for that." “He (Kawhi) said it from day one… I’m not staying here.” - @FredVanVleet pic.twitter.com/zwK8oDehz6 — hello and welcome (@hellowelcomepod) December 15, 2025 While the Clippers 'won' the Kawhi sweepstakes in 2019, it hasn't exactly worked out well for them, as Leonard has battled injuries for much of his tenure in Los Angeles. To make matters worse, the trade they made for Paul George to lure Leonard to the Clippers has backfired in a big way. That deal saw Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of draft picks go to Oklahoma City Thunder, who now have an NBA championship. The Clippers, meanwhile, have been to the Western Conference Final just once with Kawhi.