Report: Raptors' Kawhi Leonard Portrayed as 'Practically Mute' by Spurs Insider

New Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard was described as "practically mute" by a San Antonio Spurs insider following his exit from the organization last week.

On Saturday, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reported the source noted Leonard, who arrived to Toronto as part of a blockbuster trade that featured DeMar DeRozan, is "neither mean-spirited nor vindictive" despite his lack of public emotion.

"He seems to have a quiet demeanor, and all of us human beings are built different," Raptors President Masai Ujiri said. "Just getting to know him more is what we are going to do. But as a basketball player, if everything checks out, he's somebody that I think has proven that he's the caliber of player that he is, and he's proven it with championships."

The 27-year-old two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year always seemed like the prototypical Spurs cornerstone as a quiet, unassuming superstar in the mold of Tim Duncan.

That's what made his messy breakup with the franchise so surprising. He played just nine games during the 2017-18 season because of a lingering quad injury and spent the offseason in the rumor mill before finally getting moved to Toronto last week.

In May, Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com reported the Spurs had "grown worried that Leonard's group has an ulterior motive to fray the relationship and get Leonard traded to a larger market such as Los Angeles or New York or Philadelphia."

It remains unclear what happened behind the scenes.

Regardless, Ujiri said the drama that followed Leonard was the only reason the Raptors had an opportunity to make the marquee move.

"All I'll say is, without all this medical drama that there is, we have no chance of talking to a player like that—zero," he said, per Smith. "You have no chance. He would be signed to a new [San Antonio contract], and we wouldn't have a chance to get him."

The Eastern Conference is up for grabs following LeBron James' departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers. The Raptors hope the tranquil Leonard can help them fill that void by leading the way to their first NBA Finals appearance.