Raptors knew what they were getting with Kawhi Leonard

The Toronto Raptors have to be disappointed to already see Kawhi Leonard go out with an injury. But they certainly aren't surprised.

Even at age 35, Leonard remains a highly effective player, but not one you can count on to be available for 82 games. The Raptors saw Leonard miss 25 percent of the 2018-19 season and win a title, so they're still betting on his upside.

Toronto Raptors made calculated risk with Kawhi Leonard

There's a number of reasons that Leonard was a risky acquisition for the Raptors, beyond the salary cap circumvention scandal that led to the Los Angeles Clippers forfeiting five first-round picks. The primary concern is that Leonard has played more than 65 games just once since the 2016-17 season. He played in less than 60 percent of the Clippers' games over seven seasons and missed 15 playoff games.

Still, the Raptors sent Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to the Clippers to get Leonard, along with two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 and a pick swap in 2030. Part of their motivation was that Ingram had a partial tear of his Achilles tendon that required offseason surgery. Aside from last season, when he played 77 games, Ingram has also been injury-prone, playing just 18 games in 2024-25 and never exceeding 64 games played between 2017-25.

Ingram is in a contract year this season, as he holds a $41.9M player option for 2027-28 and can become a free agent. Rather than deal with their own banged-up forward and his contract uncertainty, they rolled the dice on Leonard, who has similar injury concerns but a far higher upside, even in the twilight of his career.

Toronto Raptors have managed Kawhi Leonard's health before

Leonard has a far more extensive injury history now than he did when the Raptors traded for him in 2018. However, the team managed to maximize his performance, sitting him on back-to-backs and relying on their depth to fill in for Leonard's absences. The result was a team that still won 58 wins and finished second in the Eastern Conference, then defeated a number of elite teams to win their first title.

This Raptors team can also handle a temporary absence from their seven-time All-Star, expected to be out for "a period of weeks" with his knee swelling.