Kawhi Leonard’s absence is stretching into a third straight week, and the Toronto Raptors still don’t have a timetable for his return.
The team said Tuesday that Leonard is continuing his reconditioning process after treatment for the left knee injury that has kept him out since the Raptors’ second game of the season on Oct. 23 against the Washington Wizards. Toronto said it will provide another update in one week.
What started as a seemingly short-term issue has turned into a longer wait. Leonard first missed the Oct. 25 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the situation escalated two days later when the Raptors announced he would enter a treatment and rehab program to deal with the swelling in his left knee. Since then, he has sat out eight straight games and will now miss at least another week.
Leonard’s arrival in Toronto came last offseason in a trade with the LA Clippers after the NBA’s lengthy investigation into potential salary cap circumvention. The Clippers were hit with heavy penalties, including fines and suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and executive Lawrence Frank, while Leonard was not handed any major punishment.
After the trade was completed, Leonard signed a new two-year, $115 million contract extension with Toronto that runs through the 2028-29 season. He has said he intends to finish his career with the franchise he helped carry to the NBA Finals and a championship in 2019.
That title remains the only one in Raptors history.
Toronto has managed a 5-5 start to the 2026-27 season without him, though Monday night’s 118-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was another reminder of how thin the margin can be. All-Star Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and Collin Murray-Boyles also did not play in that game.
The Raptors’ next chance to regroup comes Wednesday night, when the Boston Celtics visit Toronto.
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