The Toronto Raptors announced their training camp and preseason schedules a few days ago. They will hold media day on September 28 and then head to Quebec City for training camp. Starting on October 3, they will play preseason games against the Miami Heat, LA Clippers, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons. The schedule release is a harsh reminder that time is not on their side as they still wait for the Kawhi Leonard saga to come to an end—preferably an end that has him become an official Raptor before training camp.
Late September may feel like it’s still far away, but it’s getting a bit too close for comfort while no end to the Kawhi Leonard situation is in sight yet.
Reporting initially maintained that both the Raptors and Clippers remained confident that the trade would still happen as planned sooner rather than later. However, on July 29, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported that the situation “could drag into 2027 if the parties don’t agree on the findings or any proposed settlement that involves punishing the team, sources with knowledge of the case told ESPN on Wednesday.”
With every week that passes, worry about the Raptors’ situation grows.
Time is not on the Raptors’ side
With training camp starting on September 29, a bit less than two months remain for the investigation to be completely wrapped up, the NBA to make a decision, and for Kawhi Leonard to hopefully become a Raptor. That time can go by very, very quickly, and, given that it’s already been a year, a quick resolution doesn’t seem to be much of a focus during the investigation.
If the situation isn’t resolved and the Raptors don’t feel comfortable going through with the trade, they could start training camp with Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick on the roster rather than Leonard—which would be beyond awkward.
Ingram will come in and do his job, but he probably wouldn’t be thrilled to rejoin an organization that needs him to play a big role, while knowing very well that it doesn’t really want him to play that role. They did, after all, try to trade him for an upgrade.
At least he would have a role to come back to. Gradey Dick can’t say the same thing. Being traded to the Clippers should have been a fresh start for him. Having to go back to a team that probably won’t play him would be a tough blow to stomach.
Beyond the sheer awkwardness of welcoming back Ingram and Dick, there would also be on-court problems. The Eastern Conference has gotten a lot tougher over the offseason. The Raptors need a superstar number-one option next to Scottie Barnes or risk taking a step back.
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