New Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard, who wanted out of San Antonio, cracked a joke in his first media availability with the Raptors.

“I’m a fun guy,” said Leonard who is rarely seen with a smile and says little.

He added: “Obviously, I love the game of basketball.”

Those were essentially Leonard’s first words since the Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan in the offseason.

Leonard missed 73 games last season and did not play in the playoffs because of quadriceps tendinopathy. The friction between Leonard and the organization grew until it became impossible for the Spurs to salvage the relationship.

When healthy, Leonard is one of the best players in the NBA – a savvy offensive player and one of the best defenders in the league. He finished third in the 2016-17 MVP voting, was defensive player of the year in 2014-15 and 2015-16, was named Finals MVP in 2014 and made first-team All-NBA in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

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Leonard says he is healthy, and the Raptors believe he can help them win the Eastern Conference, especially with LeBron James leaving Cleveland and the East.

Toronto’s president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri took a huge risk in trading for Leonard, who is entering the final year of his contract. There’s no guarantee he stays following this season.

Besides the early quip, Leonard didn’t say much on Monday.

“I want to play here,” he said. “As long as I have on a jersey, I want to play basketball. I came here with an open mind. … By winning games, this is how you get star-caliber players to want to come here and play.”

He skirted around the issue of his future, saying, “If you look toward the future, you’re going to trip over the present.”

He also didn’t offer much insight on his departure from the Spurs. “I have no regrets," he said.

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