The regular season opens Wednesday, October 21, at Scotiabank Arena against the Bulls, and the Raptors arrive with four days of rest and a roster that is, apart from Nate Bittle, fully cleared. What follows is a quick swing through Washington and Minnesota before Orlando visits on October 28.
Four Games, Two Time Zones
The calendar is tidy by Toronto standards. Chicago comes in Wednesday, then the Raptors fly to Washington for Friday, October 23, and on to Minnesota for Sunday, October 25, a game NBA TV will carry. Orlando closes the stretch at home on Wednesday, October 28. There is no back-to-back anywhere in that run, and the opener comes off four days of rest after the preseason finale in Detroit. The two road games follow each other, which makes the Wizards and Timberwolves a short trip rather than a grind. Darko Rajakovic, in his fourth season, gets a gentle on-ramp for a group that went 46-36 last season on a defense that allowed 112.1 points per possession.
The Bulls Arrive Short-Handed
Chicago is the game that matters most this week, because it is first and because Toronto should win it. Tiago Splitter's Bulls finished 31-51 last season with a net rating of minus 5.3, and they got there by playing fast, a pace of 103.2, while defending poorly. Josh Giddey remains the engine, averaging 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists a year ago, with Norman Powell the leading scorer at 21.7. Their center situation is the problem. Nic Claxton is out with a hamstring injury, Zach Collins is day-to-day with a right toe issue, and Tobe Awaka is day-to-day with a knee. Jordan Hawkins and Dailyn Swain are both out with illness, and Isaac Okoro is day-to-day. That opens the paint for Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes against a frontcourt that may be patched together. Raptors Republic's Samson Folk has already published a Bulls preview with stat-line predictions, and the Globe and Mail's Rachel Brady framed Wednesday as Leonard's reintroduction to the city.
Who Is Out
For Toronto, the list is one name. Bittle, the two-way center, moved from day-to-day to out on October 20 with his right foot injury, and his estimated return is October 28, the Magic game. Raptors Republic reported October 19 that he was resuming on-court work, so the timeline is a reasonable one. Everyone else who was listed for rest on October 16, including Leonard, Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, was cleared the next day. The rotation question is at the back end. The Toronto Star's Libaan Osman reported that rookie Allen Graves will get plenty of opportunities, and Raptors Rapture suggested Leonard could shape Collin Murray-Boyles's offensive growth. With a healthy top eight, those minutes will come in spots, not in bulk.
When do the Raptors open the 2026-27 season?
Wednesday, October 21, at home against the Chicago Bulls. It is the first of four games in eight days, with Washington, Minnesota and Orlando to follow.
Who is injured for the Raptors this week?
Only Nate Bittle, out with a right foot injury and estimated to return October 28. The rest of the roster was cleared on October 17.
