Toronto Raptors Take NBA GM Survey by Storm

Parity is destined for the 2026-27 NBA season with so much competition at the top of each conference. Many believe there are really only two contenders in the Western Conference, but the Eastern Conference has a plethora of possibilities for who could win it all. After a first-round exit against the Cleveland Cavaliers in last season’s playoffs, the Toronto Raptors are hoping to put their foot in the door of the contenders’ house with newly acquired seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard at the helm.

Before the regular season officially begins, the annual general manager survey has surfaced. Each executive is asked 48 questions anonymously regarding potential champions, standings, award winners, and more. Some questions result in easy answers, but most have a fair amount of differentiation, including lots of references to the Raptors. 

Starting with the standings, the reigning champion New York Knicks are the clear favorite to take the top seed in the East (32% total points), followed by a group of four teams who float between 12-19% total points. The Raptors find themselves falling in the third tier of teams; the general managers project them to finish sixth after receiving 3% of votes to finish third and 20% of votes to finish fourth. While sixth may seem low, this isn’t directly a shot to Toronto, as it actually has the second-highest probability of finishing fourth behind the Boston Celtics. The general managers just don’t believe the Raptors can be a top-three seed like the five teams ahead of them. 

However, the team has earned significant praise in several other categories. The Raptors were featured in best overall moves this offseason, most improved in 2026-27, best defensive team, and toughest to predict its level of success. In all of these categories, a general manager who is not their own has to vote for the team to be No. 1 just to be included in the voting, so regardless of what share of votes they get, there are believers out there. 

Moving on to the players, Leonard and Scottie Barnes made regular appearances throughout the list. Leonard received 17% of the vote for best small forward (third), 13% for biggest impact for new player acquisition (T3), and received votes for most underrated player acquisition. Barnes, on the other hand, received votes for most likely to have the biggest breakout and best small forward, 13% of the votes for most versatile defender (third), and 17% for most versatile player (second). 

The young guns, Collin Murray-Boyles and Allen Graves, found themselves with high praise as well. The All-Rookie selection was tied for second for most likely to have a breakout season (7%), and the No. 19 pick in the 2026 draft was tied for second for biggest steal of the draft (10%). It’s not often that a team that hasn’t won a playoff series in six years receives such high praise by people around the league, but it’s clear that there is a consensus opinion on the Raptors this year: they’re coming.