Kawhi Leonard is back in Toronto, and that alone has changed the conversation around the Raptors.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun framed the reunion the way plenty of people around the league are likely seeing it: the Raptors matter again. Not in a vague, hopeful sense, but in the real NBA sense - the kind that comes with being part of the league’s bigger picture, something Toronto hadn’t felt since Leonard powered the franchise to the 2019 championship.
That’s the shift here. Brandon Ingram had value, but not enough to lift the Raptors into true contention in a crowded Eastern Conference.
Leonard does, even at 35 and even with the injury concerns that have followed him for years. Simmons pointed out that Leonard’s health has always been part of the calculation, and that hasn’t changed.
Toronto has lived through that before, though, and it ended with a title.
Now the bet is that it can happen again.
If Leonard lines up with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and either Jakob Poeltl or Collin Murray-Boyles, the Raptors suddenly have something they were missing: a proven closer. That’s a big reason this move matters. It puts Toronto back on the map.
Boston is dealing with a very different kind of reset after the stunning Jaylen Brown trade.
Zack Cox of the Boston Herald noted that the Celtics now project to build around Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and new center Mitchell Robinson. It’s a much different look than the group that opened last season, and the changes run deeper than just swapping one star wing for another.
George is the Brown replacement in practical terms, but the fit comes with a major asterisk: availability. He’s still a polished two-way wing and a better outside shooter, but he’s also 36 and has topped 60 games only once in the last seven seasons. That’s the tension Boston has to live with.
Robinson brings a different kind of value. After leaving the champion Knicks in free agency, he gives the Celtics size, rebounding and rim protection they needed. Boston also added veteran guard Mike Conley, while Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez and others will be in the mix for rotation spots.
And through all of it, the real hinge point remains Tatum. If he gets back to his All-NBA level after last season’s Achilles recovery, Boston can still be dangerous. If he doesn’t, the Brown deal will look a lot more dangerous in hindsight.
In Utah, Ace Bailey is working on becoming more than a bucket.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Jazz forward has spent much of the offseason in the weight room as he gets ready for his second NBA season. Bailey put it simply: “I’ve been eating and lifting,” Bailey said.
That’s the physical side of the plan. The basketball side is just as important.
Utah wants Bailey to develop into a more complete two-way player after he averaged 13.8 points as a rookie. The scoring is already there.
What the Jazz need next is defense, especially with the team finishing near the bottom of the league in defensive rating.
Jazz assistant Steve Wojciechowski said Summer League will be a chance for Bailey to show growth in his fundamentals, decision-making and defensive effort. Bailey said that side of the game has been central to his workouts.
“In every workout, we start with defense,” he said.
For Utah, that’s the message that matters. Bailey doesn’t just need to get stronger. He needs to get better at the part of the game where the Jazz struggled most.
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Brad Stevens May Have Quietly Solved A Celtics Problem Nobody Saw
Brad Stevens spent the offseason quietly reshaping the Celtics frontcourt, and the work may matter more than it first looked. Boston brought in Mitchell Robinson, then locked up Neemias Queta and Ron Harper Jr., giving the roster a different kind of depth around the basket without making the kind of splash that usually dominates summer headlines.
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Jayson Tatum Finally Addressed The End Of The Two Jays
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Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the face of the franchise through two trips to the NBA Finals, and their run together reached its peak with the 2024 title, when Brown took home Finals MVP honors. Even with that shared history in the rearview, the emotional weight of what comes next is still settling in, and Tatum's comments only underline how much Boston's identity has shifted. [Read more 🡒]