The Raptors have assembled a group with star talent, playoff experience and young depth that could push them toward the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors spent last season proving they belong in the contention conversation, and their offseason has been about pushing it even further.
Bobby Webster and the front office agreed to a trade for Kawhi Leonard, extended head coach Darko Rajakovic on a multi-year deal and selected Collin Murray-Boyles with the 9th pick.
The deal that sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation to the Los Angeles Clippers remains pending while the NBA investigates the Clippers' salary cap practices, but what Toronto has put together around that uncertainty still looks like a genuine contender on paper.
Barnes and Barrett
Scottie Barnes is the reason any of this works.
He averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 blocks per game last season while earning an All-Star selection and All-Defensive Second Team honors, and his ability to impact the game on both ends gives the Raptors a foundation that most Eastern Conference teams cannot match.
When asked about adding Leonard to the mix at Summer League in July, Barnes did not hold back about what the combination could become if the trade goes through.
"It seems very dangerous. We're trying to take candy from a baby essentially. [He's] just going to fit right in," Barnes told ESPN's Jorge Sedano.
RJ Barrett has been just as important to what Toronto is building.
He put up 19.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during the regular season before elevating to 24.1 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game in the playoffs, proving that he can be a legitimate second or third scoring option on a team with serious title hopes.
Barrett is entering the final year of his contract and has said he wants to stay, which gives the front office a significant decision to navigate before next summer.
The Kawhi Trade
If the Leonard trade clears, Toronto's ceiling jumps significantly.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points across 65 games with the Clippers last season, the best scoring year of his career, and pairing him with Barnes would give the Raptors one of the most versatile two-way duos in the league.
The ongoing discussion about whether to restructure the deal shows just how much is riding on the investigation wrapping up before camps open in September.
If the trade does not go through, Toronto would still have Ingram and Dick on the roster, which hardly qualifies as a disaster but would require a completely different blueprint heading into October.
Depth and Direction
Beyond the star names, the Raptors have real balance.
Murray-Boyles brought size and toughness as a rookie, Jakob Poeltl remains a steady presence at center, and Rajakovic's extension shows that the front office trusts the system he has been installing over three seasons.
This group could look very different depending on what happens in September, and having a coach who already knows his personnel gives Toronto a head start no matter the outcome.
This is a team that competed in the playoffs last spring and has done nothing but add talent since then, and whether it is Leonard or Ingram filling out the top of the rotation, the Raptors have enough around Barnes and Barrett to make a genuine push in the East.
