Kawhi Leonard to play for Raptors in Toronto for first time since 2019

TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard will be available for the Toronto Raptors when they host the New York Knicks in a preseason game at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic announced the news at practice on Monday. This could be Leonard's first game in a Raptors uniform in Toronto since the team's Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

"He went through practice (Monday)," said Rajakovic. "He's feeling great."

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The coach said he expects to restrict Leonard to first-half minutes, but the star forward is seemingly on track for the regular season.

Last preseason, Leonard played in three of four games for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging roughly 21 minutes. After returning from an ACL injury, he appeared in two of four exhibition games in the 2022-23 preseason, averaging just over 16 minutes per contest.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on Sportsnet.

It marks the Raptors' first home appearance of the preseason after a Canadian tour that included stops in Quebec City and Vancouver.

Toronto begins a stretch of three games in four nights to conclude the preseason. To open the regular season, the Raptors play three games in five nights.

"I'd rather have it now than we run into it for the first time after seven or eight games and all of our legs are not used to it," said guard Jamal Shead. "We'll get to see how in shape we are, where our bodies are."

When the Raptors wrapped up their 2025-26 season, Rajakovic noted that the team's conditioning needed to improve, a point reiterated during Media Day on Sept. 28.

Shead said he has focused on preparing his body for the demands of playoff basketball after his playing time ballooned to 32 minutes a game in a seven-game playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.

"I think that I'm way ahead of where I was in my first two years," said Shead during practice on Oct. 12. "I think I still can do a little bit more work…but I'm in a good spot."

Shead's increased playoff minutes were primarily due to an injury to Immanuel Quickley. With several players dealing with early ailments and Leonard primed for load management, Shead said readiness is key.

"Our team's in a good spot, you don't see us with just hands on knees everywhere," said Shead. "Of course we're going to get tired, we play really hard, but I think for the most part, we're pretty good."

The Knicks are expected to rest their starters on the second night of a back-to-back. They arrive in Toronto after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-104 on Oct. 12.

In that game, Jalen Brunson recorded 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in only 21 minutes of play.

The Raptors and Knicks play again on Oct. 15 for Toronto's penultimate exhibition game. The teams then play a two-game series on Nov. 15 and 17, with both games in Toronto.

With files from Yahoo Sports and Raptors HQ