Kawhi Leonard has made it clear that he is not returning to Toronto to take over the Raptors from Scottie Barnes, saying he wants to support the team’s young star and head coach Darko Rajakovic’s vision.
Speaking with Rajakovic after returning to the Raptors, Leonard discussed his approach to rejoining the franchise where he spent the 2018-19 season and won the first championship in team history.
“I’m not here to take over anything,” Leonard said. “I want to, you know, help your vision. Help Scottie, whatever. I just want to win. If it’s Scottie’s team, it’s his team. I’ll just go when I can, just do whatever it takes to help guys need.”
Leonard also stressed that his decision to return to Toronto was not driven by a desire to join the most obvious championship contender available.
“I’m not really championship chasing trying to find the best team I could win,” Leonard said. “I didn’t want to put on a thousand jerseys and, you know, my—the city took a liking to my family. I took a liking into the city. Really enjoyed it.”
The 35-year-old forward has a personal connection to Toronto as well. His son was born in the city during his first stint with the Raptors, and Leonard said his son had repeatedly asked when he would return.
“My son was born here and, you know, he’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back,” Leonard said. “So, you know, now he’s back and, you know, he’s able to see it rather than me tell him the great stories that happened.”
Leonard is returning to a Raptors team that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season before losing in the first round. Scottie Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists over 80 games while earning an All-Star selection and All-Defensive Second Team honors.
Raptors forward Allen Graves expressed excitement about having Leonard as a teammate, particularly because of what he can learn from the veteran forward defensively.
“Being able to be teammates with Kawhi Leonard, that’s just insane,” Graves said. “He’s the, if not the greatest defender in the NBA. And just being able to learn from him—that’s the biggest part of my game that I want to focus on—is the defensive side of the ball.”
Rajakovic, meanwhile, praised Barnes’ development and expects the 25-year-old to continue progressing.
“Scottie Barnes, you know, showed his talents over the last two or three years,” Rajakovic said. “He’s becoming an All-Star. He’s going to be a problem this next coming year.”
Toronto acquired Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster trade that sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and significant future draft capital to Los Angeles. The deal included unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and a 2027 first-round swap.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games for the Clippers last season, earning All-NBA Second Team honors. He now returns to a Raptors core that also includes Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett.
For Leonard, however, the emphasis is not on changing the hierarchy. His stated goal is to contribute to Barnes and the rest of the group while helping Toronto build on last season’s playoff appearance.
“I’m competitive. I think we got a great chance,” Leonard said. “You never know what could happen right here.”
