SIMMONS: This isn't 'Welcome Home,' but it is welcome back for Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard will be under pressure in his return to Toronto after Raptors bet big on aging, scandal-plagued star.

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He sounded different all these years and one championship later.

Kawhi Leonard came across as composed, comfortable in his own skin and seemingly at ease with all that has gone on in his life — all the controversy — as an older, more mature, wealthier version of the basketball player who changed the Raptors forever in 2019.

He was somewhat sullen back then, willing to play the part of star on the court, just not off of it. He was rather unapproachable in those days. He was often unpleasant.

On Media Day Monday for the Raptors, with the new and older Kawhi, he seemed ready to roll up his sleeves, get down to work and win some basketball games.

This is as a strange a story as there has been in professional sports in recent times. The Los Angeles Clippers broke all kinds of rules in getting Leonard the kind of money he needed to be in Los Angeles and were punished severely for it. Leonard claims he knew nothing of the salary cap circumvention, which is rather preposterous.

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But one of the giant scandals in NBA history is now over — or seemingly over — and it punished Leonard so badly that the Raptors will pay him roughly 80-million Canadian dollars a season for each of the next two years.

We should all get that kind of punishment in our lives.

“I know why some of you guys came,” Leonard said from the podium. “You want to hear about the investigation but, talking with the NBA and the (Players’ Association), I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time being a Toronto Raptor.

“I already was a distraction for the past 70 days and wasn’t able to meet my teammates, do any of that mini-camp stuff with them. So, moving forward, I just want to talk about the Raptors today.”

And this is how just about everyone asking questions of Leonard started on Monday: “Welcome home.” Which struck me kind of odd.

He came to the Raptors in the summer of 2018 in a trade made by Masai Ujiri. This wasn’t home. This wasn’t a place he wanted to play. Ujiri had to convince Kawhi that this was something worth investing in.

Toronto was home for one season. Not even a full calendar year. Leonard has played 798 games in his NBA career. Sixty of them, regular season, were for the Raptors. Translation: Kawhi has played less than 8% of his NBA career in Toronto.

So welcome home, Kawhi. Once upon a time, for one unbelievable and unforgettable season, we loved you.

Now we’re like those daisies we used to hold — we love you, we love you not. We’re not exactly sure.

It will all come down to how many wins are involved. And the expectations of this season are enormous.

The Raptors are rolling the dice on a 35-year-old who gets load managed on a two-year deal. They’re looking for big things for their giant money spent. They like their team — and like it a lot more with Leonard on the floor.

“I was really excited for him to come back home,” said Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic, who is suddenly on the hot seat to keep Kawhi healthy and playing well and winning big — all this for a coach who has never been under this kind of scrutiny before.

“This is a cutthroat business,” Rajakovic said. “I love this. We believe in our team. We believe in our fans. We believe in our city.”

The coach did mention that some of the players on the Raptors grew up watching Leonard play: “He was one of their heroes.”

Almost jokingly, Rajakovic said he wants Leonard to play 82 games and 48 minutes in every one of them. And he knows that’s not possible.

Leonard played 60 of 82 in Toronto years ago. He hasn’t played more than 68 games in the past 10 years.

“We have to be super smart here (in how we use him),” the coach said.

At the beginning of his media availability, Leonard basically said he wouldn’t talk about the NBA investigation, anything to do with how he essentially became available to the Raptors.

“I just want to focus on basketball,” Leonard said.

Right now, with his teammates focused on getting to know the legend they have yet to grow close to.

“He’s a really great guy,” said Scottie Barnes, who was the Raptors most important player before they traded for Leonard. “He talks a lot. Makes some jokes. Pretty great guy.

“They say he doesn’t talk. He talks. He talks a pretty good amount.”

Glad to hear he talks. He is 35 years old now in a league with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James all still playing at a reasonably high level. The NBA has gotten older and better in recent years.

He was 27 when he was originally traded to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan and other parts Between 27 and 35, that’s a lot of growing-up years for an athlete, a dad, a partner, a performer.

He cares about legacy now much more than he care about it after celebrating in 2019, when he all but raced out of town. He was even dishonest enough to take Larry Tanenbaum’s private plane to head to Los Angeles to sign with the Clippers.

There is no legacy other than disgrace from his years with the Clippers. He won a Finals MVP in San Antonio, but is not warmly regarded there anymore.

This is his shot to be remembered somewhere other than the one year of wonder. To be really remembered. To maybe have a jersey retired. To maybe have to identify with when he gets elected to the Hall of Fame.

This isn’t welcome home. This was never really home. This is welcome back. And the pressure will be intense.

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