The Toronto Raptors are just over one month away from opening up the 2026-27 regular season.
While Toronto is entering the campaign with high hopes, there is one major hold-up ahead of training camp.
This is none other than officially completing the Kawhi Leonard trade after over two months of agreeing on framework with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Read more on the brewing situation below.
Raptors “Eager” to Officially Complete Leonard Trade
The Raptors are “eager” to complete the trade for Leonard according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Bleacher Report).
This comes in light of Leonard joining the Raptors for a min-camp in Miami, simply signifying the urgency for a completed trade.
Just 41 days remain until the Raptors’ regular season opener against the Chicago Bulls. The hold-up is simply delaying the inevitable, with Gradey Dick and Brandon Ingram also being impacted in the fray.
Stein is relaying that rival teams wonder if the Clippers are holding up the trade “to spite” Leonard. This is in lieu of the two-time NBA champion accepting his $700,000 fine instead of appealing.
Ultimately, that angle is simply speculation. The most likely cause of the hold-up is the ever-evolving structure of Los Angeles’ front office. While the Raptors’ front office is in stable shape, Los Angeles isn’t in the same condition.
Clippers’ governor Steve Ballmer is in the midst of a year-long suspension, while top executive Lawrence Frank is facing a six-month suspension. The Raptors are the beneficiary of the Clippers’ missteps over the years, but are now having to play the waiting game as a result as well.
What Toronto’s 2026-27 Season Holds
The Raptors should instantly feel great about their title chances the moment the Leonard trade is complete.
While the Eastern Conference is chalk-full of reloaded teams, the Raptors are built to win-now themselves.
Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl forms one of the best starting units in the entire league. The bench unit is fortified by scrappy players such as Collin Murray-Boyles and Jamel Shead. The formula is present for the Raptors to be a top six seed, and to compete for a conference crown.
The Raptors are continually victims of their own mistakes, including short-sighted trades for players such as Brandon Ingram. These moves had potential to sink Toronto’s fortunes long-term, but the organization is pushing a vision that is now paying off. Whether the Raptors win another title under the watch of Leonard or not is in question, but they did set the stage to take a massive step forward in the season ahead.
As far as the Clippers go, they are now facing the fallout from the Leonard era, as previously mentioned. This is another example of how swinging for the fences has a high chance to backfire in the long run.
The first game between the Clippers and the Raptors this season is on Nov. 2.
Toronto Raptors Eager to Complete Kawhi Leonard Trade in Near Future