Kyle Lowry dodged calls from Raptors' head coach and team president during offseason, per report

Toronto traded Lowry's close friend DeMar DeRozan during the offseason

The Toronto Raptors officially entered a new era on Monday, introducing Kawhi Leonard in a red Raptors jersey for the first time. How long this era lasts -- there's a strong possibility Leonard leaves next summer -- remains to be seen, but in any case, it got off to a smooth start. Media day was drama-free; Leonard's bizarre laugh was the most noteworthy moment. Well, at least the most viral moment anyway. 

But perhaps the most interesting item to come out about the Raptors on media day wasn't actually from anything anyone said or did. It was a report from TSN in Canada that the team's star point guard, Kyle Lowry, spent the summer dodging calls from Raptors' brass. 

Kyle Lowry, the team's incumbent star, had declined to comment on the trade of his close friend and long-time teammate DeMar DeRozan at a USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas over the summer. That was overblown and not a direct concern to the team – as Lowry correctly pointed out on Monday, he's never made a habit of speaking to the media during the off-season.

Of greater concern, per league sources, Lowry had also been dodging calls and texts from team officials, including president Masai Ujiri and new head coach Nick Nurse, who Lowry said he only spoke with briefly right after Nurse was promoted in June.

There was no outward drama about this during media day, and Lowry will keep things professional in public. But there is little doubt that Lowry was not pleased about the Raptors trading away his close friend DeMar DeRozan in the Leonard trade. 

Perhaps now that the season has arrived and Lowry has had some time to process the move, everything will be alright. In a few months this may all be forgotten if the Raptors get out to a great start with Leonard and Lowry leading the way. 

Still, while it may not end up being a problem, it definitely isn't a good thing that Lowry was going out of his way to not speak to Ujiri or Nurse. So at least in the near future this seems like something worth keeping in the back of your mind as we watch how the Raptors start this season.