Toronto Raptors Made Two Young Pieces Untouchable Before Kawhi Leonard Trade

Today marks the beginning of NBA free agency, and the news will be buzzing for the rest of the summer. Starting with ESPN’s Shams Charania announcing that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, will be departing the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons, a change of scenery will be seen for several stars throughout the league.

The Toronto Raptors thankfully won’t see any of their stars switch teams, unless general manager Bobby Webster makes the decision for them. Rumors for trades surrounding superstars like Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown have consumed the franchise’s news over the past few days, but Toronto taking its time showed that it wasn't going to jump the gun.

A long-awaited announcement dropped for Charania regarding Leonard rejoining the team with which he won a championship and Finals MVP. The package includes two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram, former lottery pick Gradey Dick, two future first-round picks, one pick swap, and two second-round picks for Leonard. However, Webster took his time with the deal, ensuring that he did not give up too much in his first potential blockbuster deal as the head of basketball operations.

As the two general managers negotiated, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange detailed which players the Raptors refused to include in the package.

“My understanding is second-year wing Ja’Kobe Walter would NOT be part of any deal the Raptors might make, per sources,” said Grange. It almost goes without saying prize rookie [Collin] Murray-Boyles is off limits also.”

Although he was not specifically mentioned, franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes is, of course, off the table as well. That means that Webster views these three as the future of the franchise, next to the newest first-round draft pick, Allen Graves.

Walter and Murray-Boyles both solidified how important they are to the team’s success in the second half of the season. On a team that was one of the worst at three-point shooting across the NBA, Walter was Toronto’s saving grace. After the All-Star break, the second-year guard shot 47.6% from beyond the arc, the second-highest percentage by a player with two or more makes per game in that stretch (via StatMuse). Coupling this with his continued progression as a tenacious perimeter defender, the former Baylor Bear has shown the ability to be a pivotal piece for years to come.

As for Murray-Boyles, he was selected for his aggression in defense and rebounding, and he exceeded those expectations in his rookie year. He proved to be a great second fiddle to Barnes in terms of defensive versatility; switching, help defense, clogging the passing lanes, sticking to ball handlers on the perimeter, shutting down the post, etc. 

The former No. 9 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft displayed rapid progression as an interior scorer, which showed his potential is higher than originally anticipated. Rolling to the basket after screening in the pick-and-roll, cutting to the rim off the ball, or attacking out of a triple threat in the midpost, he showed that whenever he uses his physicality to his advantage, there aren’t many who can stop him from scoring in the paint. 

Whether Toronto is able to acquire a superstar via trade or not, the roles for these two should see a definite increase next season. They may both be forced to come off the bench to start, but their minutes shouldn’t represent those of a typical backup. That is, assuming head coach Darko Rajakovic understands that their impact may be needed to close out contested games.