Seven years after he gave Toronto its only championship, Kawhi Leonard is a Raptor again. The trade with the LA Clippers was agreed on June 30. It wasn't finalized until September 14, because the NBA was investigating salary cap violations by the Clippers tied to Leonard's contract. Toronto sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap and two second-round picks to Los Angeles. A week later, Leonard signed a two-year, $115 million extension that starts in 2027-28 and includes a player option for 2028-29. He'll earn $50.3 million this season, and he's expected to finish his career in Toronto.
The excitement is justified. Leonard is not a nostalgia signing. In 65 games last season he averaged a career-high 27.9 points, plus 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals on 50.5 percent shooting. He finished seventh in MVP voting and made All-NBA Second Team. He also took 6.8 threes per game, the most of his career, and made 39 percent of them. On December 28 he scored a career-high 55 points against Detroit with 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks.
He also joins a team that was already good. The Raptors went 46-36 last season, a 16-win jump that ended a three-year playoff drought. They finished fifth in the East and pushed Cleveland to seven games in the first round, winning all three home games before losing Game 7 on the road, 114-102. Toronto doesn't need Leonard to rebuild it. It needs him to finish possessions that a fast, defense-first roster sometimes couldn't.
That's why Scottie Barnes still matters more than anyone else on the roster. Barnes played 80 games last season and averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks. He made the All-Star team and his first All-Defensive Team. Against the Cavaliers he raised all of it to 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. ESPN notes that over the past decade, only LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Cade Cunningham have put up a playoff series line like that.
For this group, Barnes' leadership shows up in his box score. He's the player who starts the offence, guards across positions and keeps the transition game running. Last season Toronto led the league with 18.9 fast-break points per game. Those points made up 16.5 percent of its scoring, the highest share in the NBA, and the Raptors outscored opponents by 6.4 fast-break points a night. Leonard was built for halfcourt scoring. Over the last three years he has a 53.0 effective field goal percentage in the final six seconds of the shot clock, ninth among qualified players. How Barnes combines the Raptors' speed with Leonard's patience will shape Toronto's offence.
On paper, the fit makes sense. Leonard mostly replaces Ingram, who led the team with 21.5 points per game. He's a more efficient scorer and a far better defender. A Barnes-Leonard frontcourt gives Darko Rajaković two forwards who can guard and create. Second-year big Collin Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and newcomer Kyle Anderson fill in around them. The big question is usage. Barnes has been Toronto's main playmaker, and Leonard will want the ball late in games. It's fair to expect some of Barnes' shots to move to Leonard. It's less clear whether his assists will drop or rise as he feeds a better scorer.
Then there's availability, the part of the Leonard story Toronto can't ignore. He's 35. Over six years with the Clippers, he played only 22 of 37 possible playoff games. Sixty-five games last season was a healthy year for him, and even then he missed 17. On nights when Leonard rests, the Raptors need Barnes to win games against weaker teams on his own. He did that for most of last season, so the job isn't new.
For fantasy managers, the split is clear. Leonard is a high-end scorer who contributes in steals and three-pointers, but his missed games are part of the price. Plan for rest days, and roster a replacement you trust if you draft him. Barnes is still the safer pick. He played 80 games, and his combination of rebounds, assists, steals and blocks fits nearly every category format. If you bet on his playoff version showing up more often, you're drafting a potential top-tier all-around forward. If his scoring dips next to Leonard, the defensive numbers and passing should still hold his value.
Leonard makes Toronto more dangerous, and he'll get the headlines at Scotiabank Arena this fall. Barnes will decide whether the Raptors win their first playoff series since 2020.