Locked On Raptors - Daily Podcast On The Toronto Raptors

The NBA revealed its findings in the Kawhi Leonard cap circumvention investigation and have absolutely hammered the Clippers while clearing the way for Kawhi Leonard to become a Toronto Raptor officially. In Episode 2179, Sean Woodley reacts to the NBA stripping the Clippers of five draft picks while suspending Steve Ballmer and members of the team's front office for orchestrating a cap circumvention scheme involving Kawhi Leonard, while Leonard will receive a $700,000 fine but not suspending nor a voiding of his contract. Sean talks about why this is a perfect outcome for those hoping for Kawhi to officially become a...

The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown this summer, but they're still gonna be annoyingly good, aren't they? In Episode 2178, Sean Woodley chats with John Karalis (Locked On Celtics) about the Celtics' eventful offseason and whether there's any hope that their run as an Eastern Conference contender comes crashing to an end this season. Off the top, they chat about why Boston is so predictably going to be a regular season wins machine again even after trading Jaylen Brown to their closest rival for a pittance, and whether their playoff ceiling is worthy of skepticism. Next, they chat about the...

Are the Toronto Raptors or the Philadelphia 76ers the more sure thing in the loaded Eastern Conference this season? In Episode 2177, Sean Woodley and Trill Bro Dude (You Know Ball) chat about the Sixers' crazy offseason and where they sit in the superior conference. Off the top, they chat about how hard Trill is rooting for the Kawhi Leonard trade to fall through as a fan of one of the many teams vying for contender status in the East, and get into just how good the Sixers can be with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in tow. Next, Sean...

Is "Playoff Scottie Barnes" the version of Scottie the Toronto Raptors can expect to see going forward. In Episode 2176, Sean Woodley is joined by Katie Heindl to answer a bunch of mailbag questions from you, the listeners! Off the top, they chat about whether the version of Scottie Barnes we saw in the postseason is the level of player that Raptors fans should expect to see going forward full-time. Next, they chat about the leaked Kyle Lowry commemorative logo and why it's cool and good that the Raptors are innovating in the creative logo space as well as the...

What would constitute a successful three-year window for the Toronto Raptors with Kawhi Leonard on the team? In Episode 2174, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob play a game of Would You Rather and hit on some conundrums related to the Raptors' competitive window with Kawhi, RJ Barrett's looming potential extension and the Raptors' starting center spot. Would you rather the Raptors make one finals run (and lose) in the next three seasons with Kawhi and miss the playoffs the other years OR make the playoffs in all three years but max out at one ECF finals appearance? Would you rather...

Are the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers the biggest threats -- if healthy -- to the New York Knicks' Eastern Conference supremacy? In Episode 2173, Sean Woodley and Tony East (Locked On Pacers) talk about why they both think Toronto and Indiana have as good a chance as anyone of taking down the Knicks if they're healthy come the spring. Plus, Sean grills Tony about the return of Tyrese Haliburton and what to expect from him coming off an Achilles tear in the 2025 NBA Finals, how Ivica Zubac fits into the Pacers very specific style of play, and Pascal...

Which Toronto Raptors player or team-wide stats will regress positively or negatively to the mean this season? In Episode 2171, Sean Woodley and Joe Wolfond run through stats from last season that they expect will adjust to normal one way or another this coming year, stats they think the Raptors NEED to normalize in order to be as successful as possible, and stats they don't think will regress at all and are instead simply the new normal. Immanuel Quickley's pull-up shooting, Jamal Shead's interior scoring, the team's rim finishing and wide-open shooting and their turnover margin all come up, plus...

Have the Toronto Raptors passed the Cleveland Cavaliers by in the loaded Eastern Conference hierarchy? In Episode 2171, Sean Woodley chats with Danny Cunningham (Locked On Cavs) to kick off a whip around the Eastern Conference's best teams and where they stand in relation to the Raptors going into the season. Off the top, Sean and Danny chat about the vibe in Cleveland after a deep playoff run that wasn't terribly inspiring and examine where the Cavs are at risk of getting passed by in the Eastern Conference with so many teams around them improving this offseason. Next, they talk...

ESPN reported on Monday that the NBA's investigation into the Clippers, Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard and potential cap circumvention has yielded no hard evidence that Ballmer illegally funneled money to Kawhi -- but does the NBA agree with that reporting? In Episode 2170, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob parse the latest reporting from ESPN and Pablo Torre and try to draw some conclusions about what it all means for the Toronto Raptors and their proposed trade for Leonard. Does the latest reporting make it more or less likely that the deal gets done? Is the NBA intentionally ignoring the wording...

With the Toronto Raptors' full 2026-27 schedule released, Zulfi Sheikh breaks down all the action. From an intriguing Opening Night matchup, a high number of back-to-backs and five must-watch games to circle on the calendar.

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It's yarn-spinning season in the NBA, so Zulfi Sheikh and Ian Finlayson draft their top Toronto Raptors storylines for the upcoming season. Will Kawhi Leonard earn redemption in Toronto? Will Scottie Barnes hit another gear? And what might Year 2 Collin Murray-Boyles look like?

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If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/ev...

Zulfi Sheikh and Kai Gammage sift through the Eastern Conference and rank all 15 teams based on the over/under lines and their win-total predictions. In a revamped conference, where do the Toronto Raptors end up fitting in?

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If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub

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Pablo Torre dropped some more reporting about the LA Clippers, Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard, and it's made a messy situation potentially even messier for the Toronto Raptors. In Episode 2166, Sean Woodley goes solo to react to the latest Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, talk about why Steve Ballmer should be centered as the most key figure under investigation here as an unchecked member of the billionaire cast, why Kawhi and his representation certainly don't seem guiltless based on Pablo's reporting, and why Pablo's reporting could put more pressure on Adam Silver to hand out serious punishments pending the...

Could Collin Murray-Boyles be a Top-40 player in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors this coming season? In Episode 2165, Sean Woodley and Katie Heindl field questions from you, the listeners! Off the top, they answer a question about CMB's offseason workout videos and imagine what a version of Murray-Boyles who's hitting middies and cashing threes could look like. Next, they talk about DeMar DeRozan again, and what his role within the team would look like if in fact he joined the Raptors after the Kawhi Leonard trade becomes official. Lastly, Sean and Katie talk about the second apron and...

Will the Kawhi Leonard / Toronto Raptors / LA Clippers saga ever end? In Episode 2164, Sean Woodley is joined by Vivek Jacob to play our favourite Stupid Little Game: What's More Likely?! Off the top, they start in an obvious place and ask whether it's more likely that Kawhi Leonard will be on the Raptors when their regular season begins, or that the won't be. Next, they take a look whether RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley is more likely to be moved by the trade deadline. Lastly, they chat about Scottie Barnes and whether he's more likely to set a career...

How do the Toronto Raptors (assuming they get Kawhi Leonard) stack up in the deep and talented Eastern Conference? Very highly! In Episode 2163, Sean Woodley and Joe Wolfond do their obligatory Kawhi Leonard Purgatory check in as the saga moves into Day 22 before chatting about the Toronto Raptors place within their Eastern Conference Power Rankings, and how they'd rank the rest of the teams in the superior conference. Are the Bucks, Bulls and Nets destined to be the three worst teams in the East? Are the Wizards the most obvious 12th seed of all time? The Miami Heat got...

Thursday brought a whole new wave of reporting about Kawhi Leonard, the Aspiration investigation and the business dealings of Kawhi and his former representation, but does it change anything for the Toronto Raptors? In Episode 2162, Sean Woodley and Katie Heindl react to the latest from Pablo Torre and ESPN's Baxter Holmes about the potential for the Kawhi investigation fallout to bleed into 2027, the latest on Kawhi's business dealings with a soccer team in Rhode Island, and why none of it really changes the situation as it pertains to the Raptors and the league's investigation into the Clippers' potentially circumventing...

RJ Barrett's extension eligibility is one of the biggest outstanding loose ends of the Toronto Raptors offseason so far; should the Raptors look to extend him going into the final year of his contract? In Episode 2161, Sean Woodley goes solo to talk about RJ's extension situation and why it's anything but simple for the Raptors. Next, Sean gets into the latest on the Kawhi Leonard front, which is mostly just that the Raptors and Clippers have hilariously scheduled a preseason game with one another that could be extremely awkward if the NBA's investigation into the Clippers and Kawhi doesn't...

The Toronto Raptors have many players with many skills -- let's draft them! In Episode 2160, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob play a classic Locked On Raptors Stupid Little Game and draft individual skills possessed by members of the Toronto Raptors. Where will Kawhi Leonard's ISO scoring and Scottie Barnes' visionary passing get selected? Does RJ Barrett's rim pressure have a case to go with someone's first pick? What about Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jakob Poeltl's and Ja'Kobe Walter's stand-out skills? Find out on today's show! 

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LeBron James is a Philadelphia 76er, and it makes the top of the Eastern Conference that much more interesting for the Toronto Raptors to navigate. In Episode 2159, Sean Woodley goes solo to take stock of the stacked East in the wake of LeBron's decision to join the Sixers, talks about why the Cavs and Heat missing out on LeBron probably leaves them on the outside of the contender tier, and why the Sixers are gonna be a wagon on offense despite some early concern trolling about there only being one ball or whatever. Next, Sean answers a mailbag question...

The Kawhi Leonard trade could certainly make the Toronto Raptors contenders in the East. There are undeniable risks, though, and Vivek Jacob is joined by Joe Wolfond for a Raptors in 7 where they discuss the potential downsides of acquiring Leonard.

First, they discuss the importance of Leonard's vocal leadership after not doing much of that in 2019 or during his time with the Clippers. Second, the health factor can't be ignored as Leonard played less than 60 percent of the regular season for the Clippers entering the 2025-26 season where he played 65.

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If the Kawhi Leonard trade does materialize, what are the different tiers the Toronto Raptors could fall into depending on whether Leonard plays closer to 65 games, 50 games, or none. Vivek Jacob is joined by Hello and Welcome's William Lou to discuss all the scenarios. Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. 

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With Summer League over, the rest of the off-season is officially underway for the Toronto Raptors. And with the team and fans in a holding pattern until Kawhi Leonard officially joins the Raptors, Zulfi Sheikh and Kai Gammage decided to recap everything that's happened to this point. What's the latest with Leonard? Which move went most under the radar? And how do the Raptors stack up in the East now?

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Summer League is over in sunny Sin City, but that doesn't mean we can't bring the HEAT! Zulfi Sheikh is joined by Ian Finlayson as they go over their Toronto Raptors overreactions from Las Vegas Summer League. Is it worth believing in the hype from someone like Nate Bittle? Will the Raptors finally make some threes? And can Jaden Bradley and Seth Lundy make some noise with the Raptors 905?

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Allen Graves rules, Nate Bittle deserves a shot to make the Toronto Raptors roster, and more final takeaways from Vegas Summer League! In Episode 2154, Sean Woodley goes solo off the top to talk about all of his lasting impressions coming out of Summer League, including his thoughts on Allen Graves' tidy showing, the big men who impressed, and the guards who impressed a bit less. Then, Sean welcomes in Locked On Raptors Fantasy League champion Nico to collect his prize for winning the league, which is a conversation with Sean about his origins as a Raptors fan and more...

Kawhi Leonard is still not officially a member of the Toronto Raptors, and out state of limbo persists! In Episode 2153, Sean Woodley and Joe Wolfond chat about their states of mind regarding the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Kawhi and whether or not he'll be joining the Raptors for next season, why they still feel like Kawhi should and will avoid the kind of punishment that would cause the proposed trade with the Clippers to fall apart, and whether they're growing any more concerned by the day that the reunion with Leonard will eventually be called off. Next, they chat about...

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the ongoing Kawhi Leonard / Aspiration investigation and didn't offer much hope for a super speedy conclusion to the Toronto Raptors' present state of limbo. In Episode 2152, Sean Woodley and Samson Folk (Raptors Republic) settle the score on a months-old bet before talking about the latest from Silver about the expected timeline of the investigation, the impossibility of covering this story on a daily basis without going a little bit insane, and why they're still operating under the assumption that Kawhi will eventually be a Toronto Raptor once again. Next, they talk about the gap...

The Toronto Raptors remain in a state of limbo as they await the conclusion of the Aspiration investigation and the completion of the Kawhi Leonard trade. In Episode 2151, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob talk about their respective levels of optimism regarding the trade with the Clippers eventually going through, whether it means anything that Kawhi was at the Raptors' Summer League game on Monday, and how much of a disaster it would be for the Raptors if in fact the trade doesn't go through due to a punishment for Leonard rendering it functionally impossible to complete. Would GM Bobby...

The Toronto Raptors kicked off their Vegas Summer League with a pair of games against the Celtics and Rockets, and their first round pick Allen Graves looked really good! In Episode 2150, Sean Woodley goes solo to talk through his takeaways from the Raptors' first couple summer league games and shares some thoughts on Allen Graves' promising start and potential to be part of the Raptors' rotation pretty early on in his NBA career, the big men Nate Bittle and Jamarion Sharp both making cases to get a look from the Raptors in training camp, and some underwhelming play from...

The Kawhi Leonard trade is on hold until the conclusion of the NBA's investigation into the Aspiration scandal is complete, according to Shams Charania and team releases sent out by the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. In Episode 2149, Sean Woodley and Michael Pina (The Ringer) talk about what it all means for the Raptors, Clippers, Raptors fans and the league and dive into what a mess it would be for the league's lack of urgency on the investigation to cause the potential undoing of the trade (even though it seems likely to still get done at...

The Toronto Raptors bench is going to be incredibly important as they attempt to navigate the upcoming season and Kawhi Leonard's unpredictable health. In Episode 2148, Sean Woodley and Zulfi Sheikh chat about the Raptors' second unit and whether or not it'll have the juice to sustain the team if and when Kawhi Leonard misses time. Off the top, they talk about super sub Collin Murray-Boyles and why he'll have a legit shot to win Sixth Man of the Year if he carries over his play from the end of last season. They also get in front of the inevitable...

Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes are the centerpieces of the Toronto Raptors, but RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl will all be crucial to helping to complete the picture for the team in 2026-27. In Episode 2147, Sean Woodley talks about why the spotlight will be on the Raptors' three supporting starters as the Raptors look to make the pivot to title contention this season, why each of them should be put in a position to succeed in their roles on this roster, and what will happen if they don't hold up as helpful, additive pieces around Kawhi and...

Kyle Lowry has officially retired as a Toronto Raptor after signing a one-day contract with the team on July 7th. In Episode 2146, Sean Woodley, Katie Heindl and Vivek Jacob chat all about a celebratory day for the Raptors franchise at OVO Centre as the greatest player in franchise history called it quits after a 20-year NBA career. Off the top, Sean, Katie and Big V talk about the specialness of Lowry's career with the Raptors, and the various emotions felt as he fielded questions from Raptors media one last time. Next, they reflect on their favourite elements of his...

There are many winners coming out of the Kawhi Leonard trade, but the biggest just might be Scottie Barnes. In Episode 2145, Sean Woodley goes solo to talk about why Scottie Barnes stands to benefit a ton from the addition of Kawhi Leonard on offense, on defense, and with regards to his longer term development into a foundational superstar. Off the top, Sean gets into why this was clearly a trade made with optimizing Barnes at the forefront of the Raptors' minds, and why Kawhi is the perfect running mate to allow him to ease into his superstardom as opposed...

The Toronto Raptors have extended head coach Darko Rajaković and now he gets to go to work with a very good team headlined by the newly acquired Kawhi Leonard. In Episode 2144, Sean Woodley and Joe Wolfond discuss why the Raps head coach's extension was very deserved, and what he figures to be able to do with a contending roster as the Kawhi Leonard 2.0 era begins next season. They discuss whether Leonard will fit into the Darko Ball ethos of the team on offense, why he's so good that the Raptors should be more than eager to concede some of t...

The Kawhi Leonard reunion with the Toronto Raptors is clearly twinged with nostalgia, but is the good or bad kind? In Episode 2143, Sean Woodley is joined by Katie Heindl to talk about Kawhi coming back to Toronto and whether or not the nostalgia at play is the damaging and regressive kind, or something that will help propel the Raptors into their next era. Plus, Sean and Katie dig into some Kawhi-themed mailbag questions. Will Kawhi now be in line to get his jersey retired by the franchise? Does his return alter the narrative about Toronto being an distant outpost...

Sean has a lot of takes about the Toronto Raptors trading for Kawhi Leonard, and they're frankly indisputable! In a bonus episode of the pod, Sean continues to react to the Kawhi trade by outlining 12 inarguable takes about the Raptors re-acquisition of the dude who brough the franchise its first and only NBA Championship. Topics hit on by these takes include having cake and eating it too, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl's contracts, RJ Barrett being in for a career year, Brandon Ingram's sole season with the Raptors, why the Pascal Siakam trade is good now, and of course...

The Toronto Raptors employ Kawhi Leonard again, and it's kind of a perfect situation for all involved. In Episode 2142, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob bask in the afterglow of the Kawhi trade a little more, discuss what excites them about how this Raptors team is going to come together, how Leonard figures to uplift the players around him, the narrative satisfaction of Kawhi choosing to come back to Toronto to finish out his career, and their thoughts on the draft picks going to the Clippers being further down the line than maybe some fans had hoped. Plus, are there...

The Toronto Raptors have acquired Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers for a reported package of Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first round picks, a first round swap and two second rounders per Shams Charania. In Episode 2141, Sean Woodley reacts with glee to the trade that will bring Kawhi Leonard back to the place he won the championship and Finals MVP in 2019. He talks about why the Raptors hit a home run by pulling this trade off without including any roster players beyond Ingram and Dick, why the Raptors figure to be instant contenders in the Eastern Conference...

All signs continue to point toward the Toronto Raptors and Kawhi Leonard being reunited after another day of reporting of the NBA's leading insiders. In Episode 2140, Sean Woodley talks about the anticipation of a deal that feels on the cusp of getting finalized, and whether there's any possibility of the Raptors could have the rug pulled out from under them by another team swooping in to top their best offer for the Los Angeles Clippers star. Plus, Sean talks about Sandro Mamukelashvili opting out of his contract and why his market might be a little too hot for the...