Before I get into my primer for the 2026-27 Toronto Raptors season, we might as well get a Kawhi Leonard update out of the way: 

With training camp less than three weeks away, Leonard is still officially a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.

But the concern level is … not that high, is what I’m hearing. Is Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer likely deeply vexed that his franchise has been docked five draft picks, fined $30 million, and himself and his top two executives are facing lengthy suspensions in the fallout from the NBA’s salary cap circumvention investigation? 

Is it that much harder to take that Leonard gets to move on with his career and likely walk into a lucrative contract extension with the Raptors while getting hit with just a $700,000 fine — just a fraction of the money he gained through a series of phony endorsement deals the Clippers set up on his behalf? 

But those close to the situation remain confident that the deal to bring Leonard to Toronto (and send Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to Los Angeles) will go through sooner rather than later. Procedurally, the Clippers still need to appoint a team governor and top basketball executive to sign off on things, so that's considered to be the main reason the deal — first agreed to back on June 30 — remains in limbo.

But the facts remain that the Clippers are a team badly in need of draft picks and the Raptors have agreed to send two unprotected firsts, a first-round pick swap and two seconds to Los Angeles, something no other team was willing to do. And because Leonard has signalled loudly that the team he wants to sign an extension with is the Raptors, it’s unlikely any other team would match that offer for what would likely be a one-year rental. 

It helps, too, that Clippers general manager Trent Redden — who is presumed to be the one to take over as lead basketball decision-maker with Los Angeles, with president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank suspended for six months — was the executive who led the Raptors-Leonard trade talks in the first place.

In sum: the deal is still expected to happen; the timing remains TBD. 

OK, where were we when the Raptors season ended back in early May?

Right, right. Cleveland, and the Raptors had just lost Game 7 in their first-round series over the Cavaliers. It was a disappointment, naturally, but also a leaping-off point, as the Raptors came back from down 0-2 against the heavily favoured Cavs and pushed the eventual Eastern Conference finalists to the limit, even while missing point guard Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) and having leading scorer Brandon Ingram badly compromised due to a combination of an ankle injury that eventually required surgery and a rugged brand of defence he couldn’t cope with. 

It seemed to suggest the Raptors were closer to turning the corner to competitive relevance than anyone had previously thought. 

And, wow, did the Raptors ever take a leap from there, apparently seeing enough in their 46-win regular season and promising playoff showing to go virtually all-in on Leonard to keep up with, and maybe pull ahead of, the competition in the increasingly formidable Eastern Conference. 

We are still a couple of weeks away from training camp opening on Sept. 29 in Quebec City, where the Raptors will play their first pre-season game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and........

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