| Position | Name | Number | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | Brown, Lorenzo | 4 | 1,96 m | 86 kg | 26.08.1990 | North Carolina State |
| Guard | Collinsworth, Kyle | - | 1,98 m | 95 kg | 03.10.1991 | BYU |
| Guard | Felder, Kay | - | 1,83 m | 80 kg | 29.03.1995 | Oakland |
| Guard | Lowry, Kyle | 7 | 1,83 m | 93 kg | 25.03.1986 | Villanova |
| Guard | Loyd, Jordan | 18 | 1,93 m | 95 kg | 27.07.1993 | Indianapolis |
| Guard | Richardson, Malachi | 22 | 1,98 m | 93 kg | 05.01.1996 | Syracuse |
| Guard | VanVleet, Fred | 23 | 1,83 m | 88 kg | 25.02.1994 | Wichita State |
| Guard | Wright, Delon | 55 | 1,96 m | 86 kg | 26.04.1992 | Utah |
| Guard/Forward | Green, Danny | 14 | 1,98 m | 98 kg | 22.06.1987 | North Carolina |
| Guard/Forward | Miles, C. J. | 0 | 1,98 m | 102 kg | 18.03.1987 | Skyline HS |
| Guard/Forward | Powell, Norman | 24 | 1,93 m | 98 kg | 25.05.1993 | UCLA |
| Forward | Adel, Deng | - | 2,01 m | 91 kg | 01.02.1997 | Louisville |
| Forward | Anunoby, OG | 3 | 2,03 m | 107 kg | 17.07.1997 | Indiana |
| Forward | Boucher, Chris | 25 | 2,08 m | 91 kg | 11.01.1993 | Oregon |
| Forward | Leonard, Kawhi | 2 | 2,01 m | 104 kg | 29.06.1991 | San Diego State |
| Forward | Siakam, Pascal | 43 | 2,06 m | 104 kg | 02.04.1991 | New Mexico State |
| Forward/Center | Ibaka, Serge | 9 | 2,08 m | 107 kg | 18.09.1989 | Republic of the Congo |
| Forward/Center | Monroe, Greg | 15 | 2,11 m | 120 kg | 04.06.1990 | Georgetown |
| Center | Valanciunas, Jonas | 17 | 2,13 m | 116 kg | 06.05.1992 | Lithuania |
LeBron James is no longer playing in the Eastern Conference. That alone should give the Toronto Raptors confidence for the upcoming season. Each time over the last 10 years the Raptors lost when they met "King James" in the playoffs. Unless they reach the NBA Finals that will change this season.
Loyal All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was sent packing in a trade for Kawhi Leonard, who had no desire to stay a day longer in San Antonio and demanded a trade. The Raptors handily ignored the fact that Leonard named specific destinations and teams he wanted to play for thus taking the risk of losing "The Claw" after this season when his contract is up.
With nemesis LeBron James playing in LA, the Raptors are hoping for their first ever Finals appearance. However, the Celtics and Sixers have the same aspirations. This is shaping up to become the most exciting season in the East in a long while.
Trading DeMar DeRozan against Kawhi Leonard was a gutsy move. The 27-year-old forward will be a free agent in 2019 and categorically rejects a premature renewal of contract with the Raptors. The Canadians therefore run the risk of being left empty-handed next summer, should Leonard decide to leave Toronto.
With the exception of LeBron James, no NBA player has been talked about as much this summer as Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP. Again and again emphasized where he wants to go. Toronto was not on his wishlist.
Now Leonard seems to be accepting the situation he is in, stressing that he likes it in Toronto and wants to give the Raptors a chance, which of course is music in the ears of General Manager Masai Ujiri who risked everything trading for Leonard. If Kawhi buys into the whole Toronto thing, the Raptors are among the absolute favorites in the East. If only for a year.
Dedicated team play is what has kept the Raptors going the last couple of years. The Toronto Raptors may be the best-seasoned team in the East due to their many years of familiarity with each other. However, one has to wonder if a high caliber player like Kawhi Leonard will fit in so easily. You can't push a large block of wood into a Jenga tower and expect it not to wobble. To make things more complicated, assistant coach Nick Nurse was promoted after the termination of Dwayne Casey and is now in his head coach rookie season. Both could cause a bumpy first half of the season.
With point guard Kyle Lowry running point, the Raptors have an experienced playmaker who will only initially miss his backcourt colleague DeRozan. Kawhi Leonard is offensively more versatile and defensively on a completely different level than DeRozan. And don't overlook the second man who came with the Kawhi trade: Danny Green. The ex-Spur will start alongside Lowry as primarily a threat from outside to keep the opposing defense from collapsing around Kawhi.
Much will depend on how quickly Kawhi finds his way around the Raptors. But fully healthy and motivated Leonard is the best player in the Eastern Conference. Yes, we said it.
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