While the Clippers organization was being reduced to rubble because Steve Ballmer and Co. were circumventing the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors were dead set on acquiring him. Toronto sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected firsts in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 pick swap, and second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 for Leonard. The Raptors then extended him for two years and $115 million.
Toronto now has the player responsible for delivering the franchise its first NBA championship, and Leonard is back in a situation that brought out the best in him.
It’s hard not to be excited about what’s going on here, at least from an on-court standpoint. Scottie Barnes, a two-time All-Star and All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2026, is coming off a season in which he averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, adding 2.9 combined steals and blocks. He’s the perfect running mate for Leonard, and the two of them, along with Collin Murray-Boyles, should make up the best defensive trio in the entire league.
If there’s a question mark with this team, it’s in the backcourt. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett will start at the guard spots. Both have been good throughout their careers, but the Raptors are hoping to win a championship, and we’ll see if those two can level up. I believe in Barrett, but Quickley has a lot to prove this year.
You can also poke holes in the center spot, where Jakob Poeltl will start. Poeltl knows his role, though, and Toronto will likely finish games with him on the bench. He’s more of a rotation piece than a true starter, and the Raptors have plenty of quality players in that rotation. Jamal Shead is a tremendous backup point guard, and Ja’Kobe Walter came on strong as a two-way contributor at shooting guard. Veteran Kyle Anderson and rookie Allen Graves should also have chances to make things happen.
Let’s also not forget the head coach. Darko Rajakovic is the best coach that nobody talks about. He has installed a defensive system that opponents hate going up against, and now, with Leonard in the mix, we’ll see what he can do with the X’s and O’s on offense.
If Leonard can find a way to stay healthy, this might be the toughest out in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are elite defensively, they have shot-making, and winning at Scotiabank Arena is wildly difficult.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Will reuniting with the Raptors medical staff keep Leonard fresh come the postseason?
Leonard is 35 now, so there’s a big difference between the body this medical staff is working with and the one it had in 2018-19. Still, the Raptors managed him to perfection that year. He was coming off a season in which he played only nine games for the Spurs because of persistent pain in his right quadriceps. Toronto got 60 regular-season games out of the two-time Finals MVP, and he was at his very best in the postseason.
This year, the Raptors will surely look for opportunities to sit him, because having him healthy in the postseason is the single most important thing for this franchise.
I imagine Toronto will do well in keeping Leonard comfortable. That’s precisely why I’d skip the Over on their win total and go right to more ambitious futures, like winning the East or the NBA Finals.
Is Quickley good enough to run the show for a team with championship aspirations?
I mentioned earlier that I think Barrett will be fine this year. He has turned into a solid catch-and-shoot option, he’s aggressive attacking downhill, and he plays very hard defensively. Quickley, however, will likely be the weakest link for the Raptors.
Quickley has proven himself a good off-the-dribble shooter and a solid playmaker. But he’s a bit undersized, he’s not great inside the three-point line, and he’s always hurt.
He needs to be a little more efficient offensively, and he has to find a way to stay on the floor. If he can’t, we could see a lot more of Shead than expected.
How good will Murray-Boyles be in Year 2?
Toronto clearly has two absolute studs in Leonard and Barnes, but Murray-Boyles could make this a Big Three sooner rather than later.
After last year’s All-Star break, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. He’s a highly efficient offensive player who doesn’t need touches to impact the game, and he’s as good a young defender as there is in the NBA.
If things go as planned, Murray-Boyles will win over a lot of people come playoff time. And if his jumper ever becomes a reliable part of his arsenal, he’s going to make a fortune in this league.
WIN TOTAL LEAN: Under 46.5
