Skip to content

Raptors' Nurse: Can't blame Kawhi for 'wanting to go home'

Jesse D. Garrabrant / National Basketball Association / Getty

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse bears no ill will toward Kawhi Leonard as the forward appears set to join the Los Angeles Clippers.

In one campaign north of the border, Leonard was the Raptors' standout performer, helping the franchise secure its first Larry O'Brien Trophy and winning his second Finals MVP.

Though Toronto's odds of repeating as champions took a nosedive with the news of Leonard's impending exit, Nurse doesn't fault the free agent for opting to play just a short drive down the California coast from his San Diego home.

"I think you can't blame a guy for wanting to go home," Nurse said Saturday at the Las Vegas Summer League, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "That's what he texted me today. 'I'm going home.' And I just said, 'You've changed a lot of lives, man, by what you've accomplished in Toronto. Mine especially.' And thanked him for what he did, and we'll look to the future, and we'll look to (win a title) again."

The Raptors bench boss lauded the organization's bid to convince Leonard to stay in Toronto. Specifically, he praised the medical staff's work in helping the 28-year-old recuperate from the quad injury that limited him to just nine games with the San Antonio Spurs in 2017-18.

While he relished the opportunity to coach the three-time All-Star, Nurse admits it's tough to see him leave. However, the 51-year-old coach is looking forward to meeting Leonard on the court again as the Raptors attempt to defend their title.

"It's certainly disappointing," he said. "I think, first of all, he's a great person. He was unbelievably fun to coach, just locked in and loaded and ready to go. People would ask me, 'What was it like coaching him?' And I always said the best thing was I got to stand there on the courtside and watch this guy go to work.

"That was something that I'll never forget. Now we got to go kick his ass."

Nurse wasn't alone in Toronto in expressing gratitude for Leonard's year with the franchise. Raptors president Masai Ujiri thanked both the superstar and Danny Green - who joined the Los Angeles Lakers - for their contributions to the team in a statement, and, in a video, Toronto mayor John Tory thanked Leonard for helping to bring a championship to the city.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox