Kawhi Leonard is day-to-day with a rest designation and will not play Friday against Detroit in Toronto's preseason finale. The Raptors close out the preseason without their leading scorer from a season ago, with an expected return date already on the books.
What happened
The Raptors listed Kawhi Leonard as day-to-day Friday at 5:59 PM ET, with the report tagging the issue as rest. No previous status was listed. Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports Leonard will be rested Friday against the Pistons for the preseason finale. The move comes after Leonard was cleared from a day-to-day designation on Oct. 12, following an earlier day-to-day listing on Oct. 3 that the report marked as not injury related. His expected return is listed as Oct. 21.
What it means for the Raptors
Toronto closes its preseason schedule Friday at 7:00 PM ET against the Pistons without Leonard, who averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 32.1 minutes across 65 games last season. With the 2026-27 season not yet underway, the Raptors carry a 0-0 record and have no games logged with or without him this year. In his absence, the minutes load falls to Brandon Ingram (33.8 min, 21.5 pts), Scottie Barnes (33.5 min, 18.1 pts), Immanuel Quickley (31.9 min, 16.4 pts) and RJ Barrett (30.3 min, 19.3 pts), with Jakob Poeltl, Jamal Shead, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles rounding out the rotation.
What to watch
Leonard's expected return is listed as Oct. 21, which would put him in line for the start of the regular season. He is not alone on the injury report: Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes are also day-to-day with rest designations, while Chucky Hepburn (hamstring) and Nate Bittle (foot) carry separate listings. Watch the next official report for any change before Toronto's season opener.
Is Kawhi Leonard playing at Pistons?
No. Leonard is day-to-day and will be rested Friday against the Pistons in Toronto's preseason finale, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
When will Kawhi Leonard be back?
His expected return is listed as Oct. 21. No further timeline has been announced.