The Toronto Raptors have been a class act after former superstar Kawhi Leonard bolted for his hometown of Los Angeles, as many expected he would when he was first traded to The North. Raptors president Masai Ujiri said this in a public statement: “We got a great deal out of this — we won a championship, so we’re happy.”

While he also said he was not “disappointed” by Leonard's departure, there has to be some level of gripe after he traded a fan favorite and lifelong Raptor in DeMar DeRozan for only a year of Leonard, even if that did produce the team's first-ever championship.

According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, while they never felt misled by Leonard, they did believe he used them as leverage in free agency:

Privately, of course he’s upset. Most in the Raptors’ organization are, at least to some degree. This is not some shocking revelation, as they are, after all, human. Several sources confirmed this to The Athletic (the hurt feelings part). While they never felt misled, they did believe Leonard used them as leverage in free agency.

There will be no public airing of sour grapes — that’s a no-no in the NBA since Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert went postal after LeBron left the first time in 2010.

The Raptors will be gracious and appreciative in public, they want to be a destination for future free agents, after all, but they are looking at a rebuild more so than a title defense, and they barely got to celebrate. Many are still processing it all.

The Raptors were reportedly the very last team Leonard met with in free agency, but as it turns out, the LA Clippers were calling him two-to-three times a day, checking up on him and tuning into his goals. Returning to Toronto was a real possibility, and many thought he would go back if the Lakers didn't make the right pitch. His camp favored from that distraction as well by allowing the Clippers to have the time to trade for Paul George.

The Clippers knew that if they didn't trade for a star, Leonard could choose to return to Toronto, where a championship-winning roster awaited him — or even worse, go right around the hall and build a superteam with the Lakers.