Samson Folk tries to rank Kawhi Leonard & Scottie Barnes as a duo in the NBA.

From my piece:

“So, now that the dust has settled regarding Kawhi Leonard’s role in the cap circumvention extravaganza with the Clippers and the penalties have been levied… where does everyone sit on the potential of going back to the table for haggling purposes?

This was an oft discussed topic on social media. Far more discussed, I reckon, than it was within Raptor or Clipper circles. Regardless, do the Raptors have a leg to stand on?

Setting the scene first, Shams Charania reported that the trade should be finalized in the coming days, and that trade would be as follows:

To Los Angeles: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks.

To Toronto: Kawhi Leonard.

If the Raptors were somehow able to negotiate for a better deal, great, but I think they already did really well.

I was ecstatic when this trade was announced. I viewed this as an undeniable win for the Raptors, and considered the cost worth it even if Leonard were to play like 24 games this season. There are obvious upsides, you can find them here:

Leonard is coming off an unbelievable season. He was healthy, he placed 7th in MVP voting, and he made an All-NBA team. This isn’t a “distressed star” trade in the way that we saw Brandon Ingram, Trae Young, and Anthony Davis get jettisoned elsewhere. The “distressed” aspect of Leonard’s reputation has been settled by the NBA, and on his end it’s getting settled for 700K.

Speaking of Ingram, when I was surveying — in my limited means — the trade market I saw a player who would probably need things attached to him to achieve a trade out of Toronto, rather than the inverse. There’s no question that last year was a success for Ingram and the Raptors, and well done to all parties, but it also revealed how ill-fitting the two ultimately were. An All-Star season, to be sure, but that selection doesn’t carry as much meaning as it used to as far as front offices are concerned. If we look at the Julius Randle trade, it’s hard to see something much better for the Raptors. Randle doesn’t have the recent All-Star selection and the aesthetics of his game don’t lend themselves to easy fandom like Ingram, but he’s been a better player for some time.

Part of the cost to bring Leonard in is also the cost to move Ingram on. Whether you view that as the two seconds, or one first, whatever you like, I think that’s the truth of it.

The same point can be made for Gradey Dick. As someone who was high on the Kansas star coming out of the draft, I kept looking for indicators of how his career might bend in the right direction – and it hasn’t yet. That’s not to say that it can’t, or won’t, but that Dick’s inclusion in this trade serves as, in my mind, a means to even out the money and keep the Raptors from surrendering young players that they viewed as more important. Maybe the Clippers see Dick as a player on the verge of turning it around, but the Raptors still have no leverage to treat him like a highly desired player across the league. Dick is a player who probably would’ve seen a decreased role on the Raptors this season, and depending on the cap situation could’ve netted *maybe* a second round pick if the Raptors were comfortable money wise and there was a very interested team, but they more than likely would’ve wanted to move his contract off the books for a slight bit of draft capital.

From the Clippers perspective, the value they’re getting in this deal exists mostly in the draft capital. You can argue for both Ingram and Dick, but they’re not easy arguments. From the Raptors perspective the value they’re getting is two-fold in that they’re bringing on one of the best players in the NBA and moving on from roughly 50 million dollars worth of players that weren’t a long term fit.

I don’t see any reason to haggle and risk this deal.”

Have a blessed day.

The post Are Kawhi Leonard & Scottie Barnes one of the NBA’s best duos? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Barnes is already inside the franchise’s top 10 in several major statistical categories. With another full season, he could make some serious jumps, in some cases moving several spots in a single year. Some of the milestones are practically sitting there waiting for him. Others would require Barnes to repeat some of the best statistical production of his career.

Here are 11 franchise records Barnes could climb next season.

1. Minutes: Barnes could move into seventh

Barnes enters the season with 12,204 minutes, good for 10th in franchise history. Fred VanVleet is ninth with 12,398, while Jose Calderon sits seventh with 13,130. That puts Barnes 926 minutes behind Calderon.

Considering the workload Barnes has carried throughout his career, that number is well within reach. He played 2,681 minutes over 80 games last season, averaging 33.5 minutes per game. His career average is 34.3 minutes.

If Barnes plays another 77-plus games while maintaining a similar workload, he could move three spots up the Raptors’ all-time minutes list. And considering availability has been one of the biggest factors behind some of his statistical totals, simply staying on the floor could be enough to make a major dent in the record book.

2. Field goals: Bargnani is only seven away

Some milestones won’t require Barnes to wait very long. Barnes currently has 2,412 made field goals as a Raptor. Andrea Bargnani is sixth with 2,419. That’s a seven-field-goal gap.

Barnes made 569 field goals last season, so passing Bargnani should be one of the easiest milestones on this list. In fact, it could happen on opening night of the 2026-27 season against the Chicago Bulls.

3. Free throws: Barnes can make a four-spot jump

Barnes has made 1,014 free throws, putting him 10th in franchise history. Now, the next four players are all within striking distance:

• 9. Morris Peterson: 1,015
• 8. Jonas Valanciunas: 1,146
• 7. Antonio Davis: 1,156
• 6. Andrea Bargnani: 1,164

Barnes needs 151 made free throws to pass Bargnani and move into sixth. That’s a number he has already shown he can reach. Barnes set a career high with 242 made free throws last season and has made at least 158 in every season of his career.

If he gets back to even his career-low mark, he’ll still move up the list. If he repeats last season’s production, Barnes could comfortably finish sixth.

4. Offensive rebounds: Barnes is closing in on Poeltl

Barnes is already sixth in Raptors history with 773 offensive rebounds. Jakob Poeltl is just ahead of him with 776. So Barnes needs only four more offensive rebounds than Poeltl next season to move into fifth. And there is an opportunity to go even higher.

Antonio Davis is fourth with 957 offensive rebounds. Barnes would need at least 185 offensive rebounds to pass him. That would mean returning to the level he reached as a rookie, when Barnes grabbed a career-high 195 offensive rebounds. He had 149 last season and averages 154.6 per season for his career.

Poeltl, as a center, will naturally have plenty of opportunities to collect offensive boards himself. But Barnes has consistently been one of Toronto’s more active players around the basket, and his size, athleticism and willingness to attack the glass give him a chance to make this a much closer race than it might look on paper. There is also the factor that Poeltl is injury-prone and, sadly, will likely miss time (let’s hope not).

5. Total rebounds: Lowry is within reach

Barnes enters the season with 2,665 total rebounds, eighth in Raptors history. There are several familiar names ahead of him:

• DeMar DeRozan — 2,739
• Amir Johnson — 2,836
• Antonio Davis — 2,839
• Kyle Lowry — 2,954

Barnes needs 290 rebounds to pass Lowry and move into fifth. That should be very attainable if he stays healthy. Barnes grabbed 600 total rebounds last season and has recorded at least 500 in every season of his career except 2023, when he finished six shy with 494.

That season was more about availability than production. Barnes played just 60 games while dealing with injuries. If he plays another 75-plus games, it would be difficult to imagine him not making a significant jump up this list. And if he gets anywhere close to another 600-rebound season, Barnes could potentially challenge the players immediately ahead of Lowry as well.

6. Assists: Barnes can pass VanVleet

Barnes’ evolution as a playmaker has helped him climb another important Raptors leaderboard. He currently has 1,842 assists, just four behind Pascal Siakam for fifth. DeMar DeRozan is fourth with 2,078, while Fred VanVleet sits third with 2,199.

Barnes needs 358 assists to pass VanVleet. That might sound like a lot, but Barnes has already established himself as a player capable of reaching that number. He had a career-high 474 assists last season, taking on point-guard responsibilities at various points and finding success as a primary ball-handler.

The only season Barnes failed to reach 358 assists was his rookie campaign, when he finished with 256. He averages 368.4 assists per season throughout his career. Another season with around 400 assists would put Barnes in the Raptors’ top three.

7. Steals: Barnes could jump all the way to sixth

This could be one of Barnes’ biggest jumps of the season. He enters 2026-27 with 445 career steals. That puts him behind:

• Pascal Siakam — 468
• José Calderón — 469
• OG Anunoby — 487
• Alvin Williams — 517
• Vince Carter — 534

Barnes had a career-high 114 steals last season. If he does it again, he’ll finish with 559 career steals and move all the way into sixth. The challenge is that Barnes averages 89 steals per season throughout his career, making another 100-plus steal campaign far from automatic.

However, he just showed that he can reach that number, so why not do it again? If Barnes can replicate last season’s defensive activity, he won’t simply crack the top 10. He’ll leapfrog five Raptors legends in the process.

8. Blocks: Barnes could make an even bigger jump

If Barnes repeats his blocking production from last season, he could make one of the most dramatic climbs of any category. Barnes currently has 383 career blocks, seventh in franchise history.

Chris Boucher is one ahead of him with 384, followed by Antonio Davis (405), Vince Carter (415), Jonas Valanciunas (479) and Amir Johnson (480). Barnes had a career-high 116 blocks last season.

Another 100-plus block campaign would give him at least 483 career blocks and move him into second place, behind Chris Bosh’s 600 blocks as a Raptor. It’s an ambitious target. Barnes has averaged 76.6 blocks per season throughout his career, so expecting another 100-plus block season would be asking him to outperform his career average once again.

But that’s exactly what makes the possibility interesting.

Like getting 100-plus steals in a season, he has already done it once. Now he has a chance to do it again.

9. Triple-doubles: Barnes can become the franchise leader

This might be the most entertaining record Barnes can chase. He currently has nine triple-doubles, second in Raptors history. Kyle Lowry leads the franchise with 16.

That’s certainly not an easy task. But his all-around game keeps expanding. He’s scoring more, rebounding at a high level and increasingly taking on responsibility as a facilitator. The more Toronto puts the ball in his hands, the more opportunities he has to fill up every column on the stat sheet. Seven would be a major jump. But so would becoming the franchise’s all-time triple-double leader at just 25.

10. Double-doubles: Barnes could move into second

Barnes already has 109 double-doubles, putting him fifth in Raptors history. Antonio Davis has 110, Kyle Lowry has 132, and Jonas Valanciunas has 137. Chris Bosh sits comfortably at the top with 239. Barnes needs 28 double-doubles to pass Valanciunas and move into second. Again, his recent history suggests it’s possible.

Barnes recorded a career-high 30 double-doubles last season and has had at least 25 in each of the last three seasons. If he reaches 28 again, Barnes could go from fifth to second in one season. And unlike some of the more ambitious marks on this list, this one doesn’t require Barnes to produce something completely unprecedented. He has to be himself.

11. Points: Barnes can crack the top six

Barnes enters the season with 6,204 points, eighth in franchise history. Morris Peterson is seventh with 6,408, while Bargnani is sixth with 6,581. Barnes needs just 205 points to pass Peterson and 378 to move past Bargnani.

A 1,000-point season would make both milestones a certainty. Barnes has already shown he can clear that bar comfortably. He scored a career-high 1,448 points last season and has scored at least 1,134 points in every season of his career.

His career average is 1,240.8 points per season. If Barnes maintains his usual scoring production, he’ll continue moving up the Raptors’ scoring leaderboard.

What does this do for his legacy?

Barnes doesn’t need to break a franchise record next season to further establish his legacy in Toronto. But he has an opportunity to do something almost as impressive: rapidly move through the record books while still being in the early stages of his career.

Some of these milestones are almost inevitable. Passing Bargnani in field goals could happen almost immediately. Others, like reaching 100 steals or 100 blocks again, will require Barnes to replicate career-best defensive numbers.

Could Barnes become the Raptors’ all-time leader in triple-doubles? Could he jump into the top three in assists? Could he eventually catch Lowry, Bosh, Carter and the other franchise leaders in multiple categories? Next season should definitely be a fun one.

The post 11 ways Scottie Barnes could fly up the Raptors’ record book next season first appeared on Raptors Republic.

It’s ironic that for a player with a skill set as consistent as Jamison Battle’s, his first two NBA seasons have been anything but that.

As part of a 30-win Toronto Raptors team in 2024-25, the undrafted rookie was afforded plenty of top-level reps and wound up playing 1,042 minutes through 59 games — grinding his way from an Exhibit 10 deal to a standard NBA contract — with modest averages of 7.1 points and 2.7 rebounds, and 40.5 per cent shooting on 4.4 three-point attempts per game.

But when the Raptors pivoted toward contention in 2025-26, Battle’s role with the franchise downshifted from project player to specialist sharpshooter. He ended up playing two more NBA games as a sophomore than he did as a rookie, but racked up half as many minutes (517) in that span while averaging just 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Still, despite that bit of turbulence, the jumper remained steady as ever. Battle attempted just 1.4 threes per game during last season but converted on a team-best 41.2 per cent clip (min. 42 games). He then continued that trend by leading the Raptors in three-point production throughout their first-round playoff series, shooting a scorching 63.6 per cent from beyond the arc on 1.8 triples per game.

In an era of the NBA when single-skill specialists have become a dying breed, with players constantly being asked to wear multiple hats, Battle has proven he belongs to a rare subset — think Jason Kapono or Steve Novak back in the day. Put him in, let him shoot and watch the ball go through the hoop more often than not. He truly has been among the NBA’s most efficient low-usage, low-volume marksmen since entering the league. Among players who made at least 40 regular-season appearances last year but averaged fewer than 15 minutes while taking at least one three per game, he ranked third in shooting percentage. Apply similar parameters to the playoffs (three appearances), and Battle ranked second.

All that to say, it’s undeniable that Battle can shoot the absolute leather off the ball. (Duh.)

He proved as much by terrorizing the Cleveland Cavaliers on multiple occasions. First, with a season-high 20 points on 6-of-6 shooting from deep in a regular-season matchup, and then Battle chipped in 14 points in a Game 3 playoff win against the Cavs, going 4-of-4 from deep in just the fourth quarter.

So, entering Year 3 (a contract season), where does that leave the 25-year-old?

The Raptors have re-tooled yet again and appear eager to sit among the Eastern Conference’s upper echelon this season. Do those plans include the Battle, who averaged nearly 20 minutes and attempted close to five triples a game, or the half-scaled version of that from last season?

It seems fair to assume the 2026-27 Raptors would benefit from an iteration of Battle who falls somewhere down the middle — threading the needle between a high-volume shot-chucker on a bad team and a single-skilled sharpshooter for an improving one.

For starters, the Raptors are still in desperate need of his long-range production after finishing bottom-five in average three-point makes for a fourth consecutive season. The impending addition of Kawhi Leonard and a presumed healthy campaign for Immanuel Quickley should help improve Toronto’s standing from distance, but so would a more-involved Battle.

And there is at least some indication that he could be in store for a bigger opportunity this season. No longer having to play behind the likes of Gradey Dick or Ochai Agbaji, Battle’s main competition for minutes as the Raptors’ ninth or 10th man off the bench most nights will be rookie Allen Graves or soon-to-be 33-year-old Kyle Anderson.

Battle provides better floor spacing than either Graves or Anderson, and has a proven history — which the others don’t — of winning his minutes alongside the team’s core. When in lineups that included any of the Raptors’ five starters from last season or their primary bench ball-handler in Jamal Shead, Battle maintained a positive net rating, albeit on a low volume of minutes. And maybe most importantly, Battle’s fit next to Barnes has always been snug, which only makes sense given how well their skill sets complement each other. Of Battle’s most frequent lineup combos, seven logged over 20 possessions, six of which included Barnes, while five maintained a positive point differential (per Cleaning The Glass).

There’s a real path for Battle to play right behind Leonard or even RJ Barrett on certain nights, depending on matchups.

As far as wing depth on the Raptors goes, the kind that can really space the floor and attract defence-bending closeouts, Battle and Ja’Kobe Walter are the extent of it, at least with any real track record in the NBA, with all due respect to Alijah Martin.

But what separates Walter from Battle, aside from being a first-round pick who’s three years younger, is that he’s proven to be more than a one-trick pony. Again, the NBA is asking players to do more and more with every passing season, and that includes bench players as well. Walter, for instance, may have scaled down his game to be more of a 3-and-D player in his sophomore season, but “3” and “D” are still two separate skills. Not to mention that Walter can put the ball on the deck more naturally.

However, Battle has shown some growth in that department. After nearly 75 per cent of his shot attempts came from beyond the arc as a rookie, that ended up ticking closer to 60-40 in Year 2 as he nearly doubled his layup frequency year-over-year. He also more than doubled his cutting frequency in that same span, from accounting for just six per cent of his shot attempts to nearly 14 per cent, while shooting 75 per cent on those looks in 2025-26.

Battle’s offensive openings remain heavily reliant on those around him, with over 90 per cent of his makes being assisted through both his NBA seasons, but an uptick in shot diversity and growing instincts as a cutting/rolling/popping threat were welcome additions to his game. And should shine even more this upcoming season with an increased role. Anticipate Battle as a weak-side release valve or kickout option as he often was last year, and it’s not hard to envision him putting defences into rotation with a growing arsenal of play-finishing moves.

Where Battle can really secure himself a routine rotation spot will be on the defensive end of the floor. By no means has he been a glaring liability as a defender — the Raptors were actually better defensively when he was on the court last season — but he hasn’t been a resounding positive either. The biggest leap Battle could take on that end is as an involved participant in Toronto’s event-generation style of defence.

The Raptors love to play high in gaps, get aggressive in passing/driving lanes, and create ample opportunities for transition play. Yet Battle ranked last on the team in deflections per game, and was bottom-five on the roster as far as average distance travelled defensively. Again, he wasn’t picked apart on that end like Gradey Dick was, for example, but he also wasn’t quite the active defender Walter was, who ranked fourth in average deflections on the team.

But again, there are indicators that Battle could be more impactful on that end with a bigger role and an increased motor. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, he’s got a solid build to impact guards and wings — of his 10 most frequent matchups through his first two seasons, nine have been against nominal twos or threes positionally. And last season, again, albeit on low volume, Battle did “hold” opponents to a team-best 54.7 per cent on the 53 shot attempts he defended throughout the regular season. At the very least, he knows how to make use of a 6-foot-9 wingspan to disrupt shots, and if he can work on being a bit more opportunistic defensively off the ball, it could help earn a couple extra minutes.

All in all, Battle has an inside track toward a meaningful role for the Raptors this season. If he can continue to show growth in other areas while maintaining his lights-out shooting from beyond the arc, the consistency his NBA opportunity has lacked to this point may finally arrive.

The post Can Jamison Battle find consistency with new-look Raptors? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

3. Collin Murray-Boyles

Maybe calling Collin Murray-Boyles a breakout candidate is cheating a little bit. He already had his coming-out party.

After Toronto selected him ninth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, there were plenty of questions about whether his size would hold him back. He’s listed at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, putting him in that awkward space between a forward and a centre.

Then he actually got on the court, and it did not take him very long at all to make people eat their words. Murray-Boyles quickly showed that his physicality, instincts and defensive ability were very real. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he looked like someone Toronto could trust in just about any matchup.

He averaged 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 stocks against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. That is probably asking a lot for him to maintain over an entire sophomore season. However, there is still plenty of room for CMB to get better.

The biggest question is what happens on offence. Right now, Murray-Boyles does most of his damage around the basket. He can finish as a roller, crash the offensive glass and make himself a problem around the rim. But defenders don’t have to worry much about him outside of that area.

The encouraging part? His floater started to become a real weapon during the playoffs. If that shot becomes something he can consistently rely on, it gives him another way to score without having to beat his man all the way to the rim. That could make a pretty big difference in his sophomore season.

This is not even mentioning Kawhi Leonard. If the Klaw trade goes through, CMB could have one of the best possible mentors for his development.

Leonard is still one of the league’s best two-way players, and Murray-Boyles already has the defensive mindset. Getting to learn from someone like Leonard could help him take that part of his game to another level.

2. Ja’Kobe Walter

Ja’Kobe Walter spent a lot of last season looking over his shoulder. There was always someone else competing for his minutes. Gradey Dick was there. Ochai Agbaji was there. Jamison Battle was there. Walter had to earn basically every opportunity he got. That should be different this season.

Agbaji is gone, and Dick is expected to be part of the trade package for Leonard. Walter has also shown enough to separate himself from Battle. For the first time in his NBA career, Walter should have a much clearer path to regular minutes.

Now he has to make the most of them. The easiest way for him to do that is by doing something Toronto desperately needed last season: make shots from beyond the arc.

The Raptors were one of the league’s worst three-point shooting teams, finishing 26th in threes made and 21st in three-point percentage at 35.4 percent. Walter was the exception.

He was the only Raptor averaging at least three three-point attempts per game while shooting 40 percent or better from deep. He also became just the 15th player in franchise history to hit that mark on that kind of volume. He did it at 21 years old. If you’re asking me, well, I would say that is a pretty good foundation to build on.

Walter finished the season playing some of his best basketball, which makes this season even more interesting. If he can carry that confidence into training camp, there is a real opportunity for him to go from a guy fighting for minutes to someone Toronto actually needs in its rotation.

1. RJ Barrett

Calling Barrett a breakout candidate might be stretching the definition a little. He has already established himself as one of Toronto’s better players. However, there is a version of Barrett that could be significantly more effective this season. A lot of that comes down to who’s playing beside him.

If (likely, when) Leonard joins the Raptors, Barrett won’t have to carry nearly as much of the offensive burden. That should mean fewer possessions where he has to bail Toronto out and more situations where he can attack a defence that hasn’t had time to load up against him.

Once Barrett gets downhill, he’s difficult to deal with. He’s strong enough to absorb contact, quick enough to get past defenders and comfortable enough with his floater and push shot to score without always needing to finish directly at the rim. Pair that with Kawhi’s ability to to draw multiple doubles, that could make rrom for Barrett to pop off.

There should also be more room for him to concentrate on the other end of the floor. Barrett has shown flashes defensively, but consistency has been the issue. If he isn’t being asked to create everything offensively, there’s less reason for him to be running on empty defensively.

Barrett is heading into an important point in his career with his next contract situation approaching. He has already shown Toronto what he can look like when everything is clicking, particularly in the playoffs. The challenge now is doing it for an entire season.

This is one of those rare occasions where a player doesn’t need more responsibility to show what he is made of. He might actually benefit from having less. 

The post Three Raptors who could break out in 2026-27 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

So, now that the dust has settled regarding Kawhi Leonard’s role in the cap circumvention extravaganza with the Clippers and the penalties have been levied… where does everyone sit on the potential of going back to the table for haggling purposes?

This was an oft discussed topic on social media. Far more discussed, I reckon, than it was within Raptor or Clipper circles. Regardless, do the Raptors have a leg to stand on?

Setting the scene first, Shams Charania reported that the trade should be finalized in the coming days, and that trade would be as follows:

To Los Angeles: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks.

To Toronto: Kawhi Leonard.

If the Raptors were somehow able to negotiate for a better deal, great, but I think they already did really well.

I was ecstatic when this trade was announced. I viewed this as an undeniable win for the Raptors, and considered the cost worth it even if Leonard were to play like 24 games this season. There are obvious upsides, you can find them here:

Leonard is coming off an unbelievable season. He was healthy, he placed 7th in MVP voting, and he made an All-NBA team. This isn’t a “distressed star” trade in the way that we saw Brandon Ingram, Trae Young, and Anthony Davis get jettisoned elsewhere. The “distressed” aspect of Leonard’s reputation has been settled by the NBA, and on his end it’s getting settled for 700K.

Speaking of Ingram, when I was surveying — in my limited means — the trade market I saw a player who would probably need things attached to him to achieve a trade out of Toronto, rather than the inverse. There’s no question that last year was a success for Ingram and the Raptors, and well done to all parties, but it also revealed how ill-fitting the two ultimately were. An All-Star season, to be sure, but that selection doesn’t carry as much meaning as it used to as far as front offices are concerned. If we look at the Julius Randle trade, it’s hard to see something much better for the Raptors. Randle doesn’t have the recent All-Star selection and the aesthetics of his game don’t lend themselves to easy fandom like Ingram, but he’s been a better player for some time.

Part of the cost to bring Leonard in is also the cost to move Ingram on. Whether you view that as the two seconds, or one first, whatever you like, I think that’s the truth of it.

The same point can be made for Gradey Dick. As someone who was high on the Kansas star coming out of the draft, I kept looking for indicators of how his career might bend in the right direction – and it hasn’t yet. That’s not to say that it can’t, or won’t, but that Dick’s inclusion in this trade serves as, in my mind, a means to even out the money and keep the Raptors from surrendering young players that they viewed as more important. Maybe the Clippers see Dick as a player on the verge of turning it around, but the Raptors still have no leverage to treat him like a highly desired player across the league. Dick is a player who probably would’ve seen a decreased role on the Raptors this season, and depending on the cap situation could’ve netted *maybe* a second round pick if the Raptors were comfortable money wise and there was a very interested team, but they more than likely would’ve wanted to move his contract off the books for a slight bit of draft capital.

From the Clippers perspective, the value they’re getting in this deal exists mostly in the draft capital. You can argue for both Ingram and Dick, but they’re not easy arguments. From the Raptors perspective the value they’re getting is two-fold in that they’re bringing on one of the best players in the NBA and moving on from roughly 50 million dollars worth of players that weren’t a long term fit.

I don’t see any reason to haggle and risk this deal.

I’m curious what y’all think. Should the Raptors haggle for an even better deal? Let me know in the comments.

Have a blessed day.

The post Should the Raptors revisit the price for Kawhi Leonard? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

That was the original agreement way back on July 9th of this offseason, and the trade has been pending ever since due to Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his attempt to escape the cap rules set in stone by the NBA. Last night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver hit the Clippers and their owner hard in their attempts at cheating with a hefty $30 million fine to Ballmer and stripping them of five first-round picks.

The first-round picks are very important to this deal, as the initial trade had a pick-swap option in favour of the Clippers, which could be a reason why the trade still hasn’t gone through officially, although Leonard released a statement in which it looks like the trade is all good to go.

It was quite shocking to see how the Clippers got punished hard, but Kawhi pretty much went untouched in all of this and only picked up a small $700,000 fine. Now that everything is clear lets get down to the real question: is Leonard worth all this headache?

The short answer is an obvious yes. The Raptors finally returned to the postseason last year after a 3-year hiatus, with Brandon Ingram operating as their number one option. Unfortunately, Ingram didn’t play his best basketball in the playoffs, but he still had some moments, especially in the game four win at home, even if his efficiency wasn’t that great. Finally, when it seemed like he picked up momentum, Ingram picked up an injury early on in a close game five loss on the road and appears to have played his last minutes as a Toronto Raptor in that loss.

Now that Kawhi is back, or should be back, Toronto has a superstar number one option back at their disposal who is coming off one of the best regular seasons of his long 14-year career, putting up a very impressive 27.9 points per game on 50/38/89 shooting splits (field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage). The most impressive part might have been the 65 games played (fifth-most games played in the regular season in his career), though with Kawhi it’s never a question of talent but availability.

On the other side of the ball, Kawhi is also an unbelievable defender, which is another huge part of his game. Toronto’s identity was to turn teams over last season with their tenacious defence and run the floor, which was a huge part of their success last season, and Kawhi averaged 1.9 steals per game and actually averages a very impressive 1.7 for his career. His defence and switchability will help strengthen Toronto’s already great defence into what should be a top unit once again in the NBA.

I think this is a slam dunk move for Toronto once again. Just like in 2019, the biggest question will be: can Kawhi stay healthy? That is always a risk with injury-prone players, and we saw how big risks can pay off at the end of the 2018/19 season. If he can stay healthy, the Raptors should be an even bigger threat in the Eastern Conference this season, although the competition has gotten much tougher this season with the defending champs New York Knicks pretty much running it back, Miami Heat with their new addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo plus others, the Philadelphia 76ers and their new look squad with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown plus the return of Tyrese Haliburton could revive the Indiana Pacers after a really weak showing last season. Still, if Kawhi plays over 50 games again and is healthy for the playoffs, Toronto should give any opponent a tough matchup.

The post Is Kawhi worth all this hullabaloo? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk, Trevon Heath, and Esfandiar Baraheni detail the latest stroke of the Kawhi news.

On Kawhi:

“The Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard were penalized for circumventing the salary cap on Wednesday, but Leonard’s contract was not voided and he was not suspended.

However, the Clippers will forfeit five first-round picks, be fined $30 million, and owner Steve Ballmer, president Lawrence Frank and president of business operations Gillian Zucker will all be suspended. Their first-round picks will be taken away in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. Ballmer and Zucker will be suspended for one year without pay, and Frank will be suspended for six months.

Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits provided by the Clippers for his uncle and former business representative, Dennis Robertson. Robertson was fired by Leonard in June and is now “banned from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel for a period of five years,” according to the NBA’s official release.

“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am,” Leonard said in a statement released on his Instagram account.

I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgement by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

“For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”

Have a blessed day.

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Before we get into it, let’s go over what has happened regarding the Kawhi Leonard situation.

Essentially, the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard were penalized for circumventing the salary cap on Wednesday. The team will forfeit five first-round picks in the 2029, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA drafts; owner Steve Ballmer will be suspended from all league and team activities for one year and fined $30 million; and two staffers will be suspended without pay for one year and six months, respectively.

As for Kawhi, he will have to pay $700,000 in restitution, and his former business representative, Dennis Robertson, has been banned from conducting business with the NBA and its affiliates for 5 years.

Now that there is context, let’s get into why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver put the Raptors on a quick path to success.

Kawhi is off to Toronto

Now, it is not a secret that Kawhi managed to get out of this investigation with a pretty light punishment.

With rumours swirling around that he could be suspended, have the contract voided, and the trade being dissolved, It is honestly best-case scenario that Leonard will only receive a fine, and the trade can be processed through business as usual.

Now, would it have been nice to keep Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and the draft capital if Kawhi’s contract were to be voided? Most likely, but as Mikail Nakhuda pointed out, Kawhi is a player who can completely change the ceiling for this team and put them on an immediate path to success if managed correctly — which is exactly what the Raptors did in the 2018-2019 season (jogging a few memories?).

Leonard is coming off a season in which he averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks across 64 games while shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from three. Leonard was one of the bright spots on a Clippers squad that had a pretty abysmal start to the year before climbing their way to a 42-40 record.

Another point on top of this is his defensive prowess. Kawhi is heading to the team that finished the season with the fifth-best defensive rating at 113.0 and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive teams in the league, with much of the praise going to Scottie Barnes and Colin Murray-Boyles, with the former finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Adding his defensive ability to this roster will make this team even harder to play against.

Going back to the 2019 point earlier, Kawhi Leonard has championship pedigree tied to his experience bringing the team to their first championship seven years ago (time flies). Bringing his championship experience into a largely youthful core is a major plus for a Raptors squad that took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

I’m excited for what this team can do, and I’m looking forward to seeing The Klaw back in action wearing that iconic number 2 jersey.

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It is also, by and large, a punishment that won’t impact the Toronto Raptors whatsoever. Considering a suspension was a theoretical punishment, a fine is something that the Raptors must be overjoyed to see.

There were even rumblings that Leonard’s contract that he signed with the Clippers could be voided, that he could be suspended, and that his trade to the Raptors could be dissolved as a result of his potential role in this cap circumvention case. Relatively though, Leonard got off with a pretty light punishment. So it begs the question: why? 

In a case such as this it would have been and was extremely difficult to prove that Leonard knowingly signed this endorsement deal with the sole intention of circumventing the salary cap. NBA teams around the league have partnerships and brand deals with different businesses and it is a common practice for teams to funnel their players to these brands for endorsement deals, as we’ve seen the Toronto Raptors countless times throughout the years. Leonard has done this many times throughout his career, so it was easy for him to say that he had no knowledge of foul play and that he thought this was business as usual. For the investigators, it likely would have taken acquiring direct communication from Leonard himself that he knew the deal was not authentic, otherwise, the evidence that he knew would have been too circumstantial. This gets into the concept of circumvention: it’s conceptually something that the team does in breaking rules, not the player in receiving the benefit.

Furthermore, the NBA surely knew that the NBA Player’s Association was watching this very closely. If the league started to look too closely at player deals and limit its earning capacity, it could find itself in a much broader fight than Adam Silver wanted. Meanwhile, it seems as though other NBA owners did want Steve Ballmer to see a real punishment because he is so much wealthier than the rest of them. In essence, the motivation of so many of the other parties in the NBA seems to have pointed towards the punishment being doled out unevenly between the Clippers and Leonard himself.

Whether or not Leonard knew that this was a phony endorsement deal can be debated endlessly, but this resolution reveals that it was simply too difficult to prove that he did, and levy too heavy a punishment on him. With this case over, Leonard and the Raptors can breathe a sigh of relief and prepare for their quest for an NBA title this season.

Perhaps the real beneficiary is, of course, the Raptors themselves. Time to hunt a championship.

The post Why did Kawhi Leonard face such a light punishment? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The proposed trade that would bring Leonard back to Toronto had been put on hold while the league looked into the Clippers. Now that the investigation is over, nothing is standing in the way of the deal from the league’s side, and that changes things pretty quickly for the Raptors.

Toronto has been waiting on this decision before figuring out exactly what its roster will look like heading into the 2026-27 season. The proposed deal would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a 2027 pick swap and two second-round picks to Los Angeles in exchange for Leonard.

That is a lot to give up. However, the Raptors are getting a player who could completely change this team’s ceiling. And while this is great news for Toronto, it is hard to say the same for the Clippers.

Los Angeles was hit pretty hard by the investigation. The NBA fined the organization $30 million and took away five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033. Owner Steve Ballmer and other big names in the organization, including Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank, have each been suspended.

However, for Toronto, the most important part of the whole investigation is what did not happen. Leonard was not suspended. His contract was not voided. And the proposed trade can move forward.

Leonard is obviously not a stranger to Toronto. Nearly seven years after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship, he could be heading back to the city where he put together one of the best playoff runs in franchise history.

The Klaw is coming off a strong season with the Clippers, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals over 65 games. If he can stay healthy, Toronto would be adding one of the most experienced two-way players in the league to a team that is already trending in the right direction.

The Raptors already have Scottie Barnes. They already have RJ Barrett. Both showed last season that they can be important pieces of a competitive team. Add Leonard to that mix and suddenly Toronto has three players who can carry an offence in different ways.

Barnes can do a little bit of everything. Barrett can get downhill and put pressure on the rim. Leonard can go get a bucket when the offence gets stuck. That last part might be the biggest difference.

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However, the Clippers will forfeit five first-round picks, be fined $30 million, and owner Steve Ballmer, president Lawrence Frank and president of business operations Gillian Zucker will all be suspended. Their first-round picks will be taken away in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. Ballmer and Zucker will be suspended for one year without pay, and Frank will be suspended for six months.

Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits provided by the Clippers for his uncle and former business representative, Dennis Robertson. Robertson was fired by Leonard in June and is now “banned from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel for a period of five years,” according to the NBA’s official release.

“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am,” Leonard said in a statement released on his Instagram account.

“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgement by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

“For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”

The Raptors agreed to acquire Leonard on June 30, in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a first-round pick swap in 2027. However, the Raptors and Clippers later decided to delay the trade until the investigation is complete.

“Regarding our planned trade with the LA Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, the NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said in a statement.

“In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete. The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans.”

It stands to reason now that the investigation has concluded and punishment has been handed out — without a suspension for Leonard — the trade will proceed as previously agreed upon.

The post Kawhi Leonard avoids contract voiding or suspension, Clippers face harsh penalty first appeared on Raptors Republic.

While discussing potential stars that could take a further leap and win the Most Improved Player of the Year award, Zach Lowe picked Barnes to take yet another step.

“My expectations almost could not be higher for Scottie Barnes,” Lowe said on his podcast, the Zach Lowe Show.

Barnes averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.8 stocks in the playoffs, while playing exceptional and versatile defence. The performance solidly cemented Barnes as one of the top 10 players in the first round. Nikola Jokic, Paolo Banchero, and Joel Embiid (who played only four games) were the only other players to average more than 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and none matched Barnes’ defensive event generation.

Despite his herculean first-round effort, Barnes and the Raptors ultimately lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. But there’s plenty of promise for the future. After being limited on drives for much of his career, Barnes’ driving frequency more than doubled, from 7.8 per game during the regular season to 16.7 in the postseason. He was also more effective, passing out of them more often for more assists, drawing almost triple the free-throw attempts while maintaining efficiency with the increased volume. He got his hips past defenders more often, putting them in poor position to defend and drawing more fouls.

Another aspect of Barnes’ game that has always stood out, and popped in the playoffs, is his remarkable hustle. His ability to cover ground on defence and guard across all positions while also being the Raptors’ offensive engine required a deep well of energy to draw from, and Barnes’ may have well been the Mariana Trench. Lowe recognized this aspect of his game, too.

“I was so impressed, and almost in awe, of his (Barnes) sheer effort level in the postseason,” Lowe said. “He was the best player in the series.”

With Kawhi Leonard likely to join the team when the Aspiration investigation concludes, and Barnes reaching new heights, the Raptors appear to be in good shape heading into the upcoming season. Do you agree with Lowe? Could Barnes be an MIP candidate? Let us know in the comments.

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