Yesterday's rumor mill gave some key updates to the ongoing Raptors–Kawhi Leonard reunion talks.
Much of it centered on two fundamental Toronto forwards in RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram, as it surfaced that the Raptors were hestitant to trade Barrett in a potential deal, while the latter was the more preferred outgoing asset on Toronto's end.
This whirwind of updates only continues into what should be an active close to June, with the official 2026 free agency period set to commence on Tuesday evening. And as it pertains to Barrett and Ingram, their names have come up once more (along with Gradey Dick) in the latest intel from NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
Raptors considering moving Ingram in Kawhi Leonard trade amid overlap concerns
Their June 29 joint Substack report would indicate (subscription-required link here): "Barrett's name has been seemingly dragged into trade chatter ever since he arrived in Toronto as part of the OG Anunoby trade with the Knicks in December 2023. Part of why Toronto has been so determined to hold Barrett out of these talks, sources say, is the clear overlap in Ingram's and Leonard’s playing styles."
And it's that closing line I want to unpack in this piece.
Last night, I looked at how the Raptors' reluctance to trade RJ Barrett might be their signal that they see a vision with him as a long-term cornerstone. That could still be the case here, but with a fresh dose of insider scoop for context, it seems like one of the supporting reasons to Toronto's openness to dealing BI over Barrett is the skill set redundancy that could emerge if Ingram were to remain in the Raptors' outlook with an incoming Leonard.
Just look at some of the key storylines we already had throughout BI's introductory campaign with the Raptors. Sure, he was a key part of the offensive engine and had a resurgent All-Star season, but there were also numerous occasions where adjusting to Ingram's sometimes polarizing play style would come at the Toronto's best team effort.
Much of Ingram's work, of course, is his mid-range maestro game as a lanky forward who likes to demand the ball, backing down his defender, and leaning into isolation. However, Kawhi Leonard's impact on the defensive end compared to Brandon Ingram is light and day, as one of the most elite defenders in the modern NBA era.
Having a forward overlap with RJ Barrett and Kawhi Leonard could be considered by some to still be a construction issue, but I think we learned quickly in the playoffs that Barrett's game is very cohesive alongside his stout teammate defenders like Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. It would be much less of a concern seeing as Barrett could still be utilized in his usual top driver/slasher role, playing bully-ball and generating contact.
Add us as a preferred source on Google