Kawhi Leonard will be out at least 1 week because of swelling in left knee, Raptors say

Kawhi Leonard popped up on the injury report Sunday an hour before tip-off in Minnesota. The Toronto Raptors then held him out for what ended up being a 117-94 loss to the Timberwolves.

The 35-year-old Leonard, in his first season back with a Raptors franchise he led to its first NBA championship in 2018-19, was a late scratch due to swelling in his left knee.

That issue will keep him away from game action for at least one week, the team announced on Tuesday.

Also in their announcement, however, the Raptors said medical imaging “revealed no acute injury.” That’s a positive sign for Toronto at least, as Leonard begins a treatment and rehabilitation program to address his knee problem.

The Raptors say Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined for at least one week to address swelling in his left knee.

The team says medical imaging revealed no acute injury. pic.twitter.com/rIsq5Xl8b7

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 27, 2026

The Raptors and Leonard will use this time to ramp the two-time NBA Finals MVP back up after his offseason stoppages, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

After the NBA investigation surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers' salary cap circumvention delayed a trade that ultimately returned Leonard to Toronto, he was left with a limited runway to the regular season.

This story is being updated.