The Raptors open the 2026-27 season on Wednesday against the Bulls, and the player who delivered the 2019 championship is on the roster again. Toronto has played this date before, and the three results in the book are all wins.
Three Games, Three Wins
October 19 has been kind to Toronto. The Raptors beat Chicago 117-100 in 2017 and Boston 113-101 in 2018. In 2022 they edged Cleveland 108-105. The 2018 game belongs to the season that ended with the franchise's first championship, a year in which Masai Ujiri had traded DeMar DeRozan for Leonard and Danny Green. The calendar proves nothing about Wednesday. It does show that this club has started seasons on the right foot before.
The Circle Closes
Leonard left in free agency after the title. Kyle Lowry was traded in 2021, and Pascal Siakam was dealt to Indiana in 2024. That left Scottie Barnes as the face of the franchise. This summer the story turned again. A trade to the Clippers was agreed on June 30, then put on hold while the league investigated the salary-cap circumstances around his original deal. The investigation ended September 2 with a $700,000 fine for Leonard. The trade back to Toronto was finalized September 14, followed immediately by an extension. He is 35 now, and his role is different from the one he held in 2019.
A Core Built Around Barnes
Barnes averaged 18.1 points over 80 games last season. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett add to a roster that went 46-36. Toronto was fifth in defense but 14th in offense, and its net rating was 2.9. Leonard's scoring is the clearest answer to that gap. The payroll sits at $202.5 million, above the $200.4 million tax line, so every contract carries weight. Barrett's extension talks were not serious as of late September, according to Hoops Rumors. Darko Rajakovic's team follows the Bulls with a trip to Washington on Friday. On January 10, Toronto retires Lowry's No. 7, another reminder of how much of the championship core has already left.
When do the Toronto Raptors open the 2026-27 season?
The Raptors open at home against the Bulls on Wednesday, October 21. They play at the Wizards two days later.
Is Kawhi Leonard back with the Raptors?
Yes. The trade sending Leonard back to Toronto was finalized on September 14, and a contract extension followed immediately.
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