The Raptors wasted no time going all-in on a veteran superstar after their seven-game first-round series against the Cavaliers. They traded Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and a 2027 pick swap to the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard to finalize one of the crazier NBA reunions.
While Leonard significantly raises the Raptors’ ceiling, he will do so for a limited time only. He just turned 35 and has a lengthy injury history. Last season was proof that he still has plenty of high-level basketball in him—he averaged almost 28 points per game—but the Raptors most likely have a two-to-four-year window to compete with him as one of the top options on the team.
For the time that they have with Leonard, the Raptors need him to be excellent. So, hearing Sam Vecenie bring up the possibility that Leonard could be the best player in the Eastern Conference next season is incredibly encouraging.
“Kawhi is one of the best players in the NBA,” Vecenie said on The Game Theory Podcast. “I hope people figure that out. There’s a non-zero chance that Kawhi Leonard is the best player in the Eastern Conference this year. Giannis would probably be my pick for that, in all honesty. If you made me predict, it would probably be Giannis. Kawhi is right in that conversation.”
Leonard and the Raptors are set up well to make serious noise in the Eastern Conference
Leonard finished the 2025-26 regular season sixth in points per game. Jaylen Brown was the only player in the Eastern Conference who averaged more than that, with 28.7 points per game. If he is healthy, Leonard could be the most productive two-way player in the Eastern Conference, especially if Brown is on the move. Even if he’s “just” the second-best player behind Giannis Antetokounmpo or the third-best player in the conference, his presence will be huge for the Raptors.
After this year’s top-five regular-season finish and an early playoff exit—although pushing the Cavs to seven games with Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley out was impressive—the Raptors are looking to make a push for the top of the Eastern Conference. Leonard can get them there if he is available enough in the regular season to make a difference and can play heavy minutes in the playoffs.
Leonard adds much-needed scoring to the Raptors’ struggling offense—a truly elite go-to option—and will only improve an already stifling defense. He averaged almost 1.9 steals per game last season, which was one of the best marks in the league and perfectly fits the Raptors’ knack for forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. Trying to score on a lineup of Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles will be an absolute nightmare, and Leonard can also make life miserable for defenses on the other end of the floor.
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