The Kawhi Leonard And Scottie Barnes Pairing Holds Potential To Be Lethal

This summer, the Toronto Raptors’ offseason has been an interesting one. They made their big splash in trading for Kawhi Leonard to return to Toronto, but at the cost of a lengthy investigation that has yet to be finished. 

The trade will not be made official until the NBA completes its investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers for potentially circumventing the salary cap by funding Leonard through an endorsement deal with Aspiration. Though the timetable for its completion is unknown, Leonard is widely expected to end up playing with the Raptors, as he and the organization are preparing for that outcome, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.

Leonard’s reunion with the team he brought a championship to in 2019 in his lone season with them is expected to be the start of yet another thrilling tenure. This time around, Leonard joins forces with a much different look of a roster than the team he won with, but the tools are all around him for an exciting contender. 

Most notably, Leonard will be paired with Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, as the two could very well be a potentially daunting tandem.

Barnes is coming off the fifth season of his career and one of his best campaigns yet. The 25-year-old forward averaged 18.1 points and recorded the best shooting numbers of his career, as he shot 50.7% from the field. Conversely, he played a career-best 80 games and proved to be the anchor of the Raptors, as he also averaged 24.1 points in Toronto’s seven-game series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

Standing at 6-foot-8, Barnes possesses the ability to play both small and power forward at a high level, as he can rebound and extend the perimeter. On paper, his expertise should be very exciting to watch alongside Leonard and his elite offensive playmaking.

Leonard, in the 14th season of his career, put up career-best scoring numbers in his final campaign with the Clippers. The forward has stayed consistent throughout his career, but improved with a career-high 27.9 points per game average this past year. As Toronto awaits his arrival, the potential of pairing Leonard with Barnes is a thrilling sight to behold.

The pairing of the two forwards in the Raptors’ lineup has all the potential to be unnerving for opponents. Both players possess elite two-way potential, as both are top defenders in the league while providing much length and efficiency on the offensive end.

While at a summer league game in July, Barnes declared the Raptors are “very dangerous” with Leonard soon to be on board for his second tenure in Toronto. The Raptors, without a doubt, have something exciting brewing with the two ahead of the 2026-27 season.