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Kawhi Leonard makes surprising Scottie Barnes admission after Toronto Raptors trade

Kawhi Leonard is finally officially going to the Toronto Raptors, and he’s clear about where he stands relative to Scottie Barnes. Despite all the recent ...
Kawhi Leonard makes surprising Scottie Barnes admission after Toronto Raptors trade

Kawhi Leonard is finally officially going to the Toronto Raptors, and he’s clear about where he stands relative to Scottie Barnes.

Despite all the recent controversy surrounding Kawhi Leonard, fans of the Toronto Raptors will always love him. He was instrumental in bringing the franchise their first championship.

Seven years since that happened, Kawhi is back in Toronto. But the landscape has changed drastically. The Raptors haven’t been contenders for a while, but they have a young superstar in the making.

Scottie Barnes has shown signs of growing into one of the NBA’s best players. But Leonard has been there and done that already. However, the 35-year-old made his position on whose team it is clear.

Leonard is a two-time NBA champion and a two-time Finals MVP. His career accomplishments are numerous and can be intimidating for any young star.

Barnes then, will be relieved to hear what Kawhi had to say when he recently spoke about whose team it is and what he wants when he gets there.

“Like I said, 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 just want to do whatever it takes.”

Kawhi’s struggles with injury are common knowledge for fans of the NBA. His availability being a bit of a question mark means that it is better for Toronto if he doesn’t expect to be the main man on the team.

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Leonard will also want to stay out of the headlines after the Aspiration scandal and the past year. If he keeps his head down and hoops next to Barnes, this move could prove to be a masterstroke for the Raptors.

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It was published on September 17, 2026 and last updated on October 9, 2026. The time of the story is shown in your own time zone on the page.

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