Masai Ujiri addressed the media for the first time since Kawhi Leonard's departure, and while the Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations had hoped things would transpire differently, he wished the superstar nothing but the best.
"I was confident but I understand how free agency is ... We won a championship, it went well, blah, blah, blah," Ujiri told reporters at summer league, including TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "But I know, I'm not naive to think that in free agency it doesn't change."
He added: "He definitely has our blessings. He gave it everything while he was with us and we really appreciated that. I communicated with him afterwards and it was very good. We got a great deal out of this. We won a championship."
The reigning NBA champs acted swiftly following Leonard's reported departure to the Los Angeles Clippers, reportedly adding a pair of above-average wing defenders in Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
While the two-time Finals MVP is virtually irreplaceable, Masai insists he's already turned the page and urges the fan base to do the same.
"There's no time to go out and cry," Ujiri added. "Honestly, I've lost no sleep. I'm not disappointed. It's on to what's next. I'm telling Raptors fans, don't lose one day of sleep, one second of sleep. We're going to be just fine. We're going to (be) all right."
