On the eve of Kawhi Leonard's anticipated return to San Antonio on Thursday, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich isn't thinking about what eventually led to his departure.
"You move on in life," Popovich said, according to ESPN's Michael C. Wright. "We're not going to redo what's happened in the past in any way, shape or form. It's of no consequence at this point, and it does no good to go backward and talk about this, that or the other."
Leonard spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Spurs before being traded to the Toronto Raptors this past summer along with Danny Green in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a 2019 first-round pick.
The 27-year-old was a two-time All-Star in San Antonio and was named Finals MVP during their championship run in 2014.
Popovich hopes the fans treat Leonard with "kindness and respect" when he takes the floor, and ex-Spurs teammate Patty Mills shares the same sentiment.
"I hope they react just as well and the same that they do with any other ex-teammate that comes back," Mills said. "He's been a great teammate. He's been a great friend to me, and he deserves that. I'm hoping that it will be a warm welcome back to San Antonio, a place where he has won a championship and grew up here."
Leonard is averaging career highs in points (27.3) and rebounds (8.2) through 30 games this season.
