Kawhi Leonard to miss Raptors’ Vancouver preseason game against Clippers

Kawhi Leonard will not play for Toronto in Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Vancouver, according to Sportsnet’s report citing Michael Grange and Tomer Azarly’s reporting for ClutchPoints. Both reports describe a gradual build-up in activity rather than a confirmed date for his first game back.

Leonard took part in Friday’s practice in Vancouver, the reports say. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told Azarly that Leonard went through the whole practice and was continuing to prepare for the season. Participation in practice, however, has not translated into clearance to play in this exhibition.

Practice progress does not settle his return date

Sportsnet reported that Leonard also missed Toronto’s preseason opener against Miami in Quebec City because of reconditioning. Saturday’s Vancouver matchup is another opportunity for the Raptors to assess the rest of their rotation, but it will not provide Leonard’s first game minutes with this group.

Kawhi Leonard will not play tomorrow against the Clippers in Vancouver as he ramps up his activity.

His next chance to play against his former team will be on November 2nd in Los Angeles, which is the 2nd night of a back-to-back set for the Raptors and Toronto's 1st back-to-back…

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 9, 2026

The reports agree on his absence from the Clippers game, but describe the timing of his first full or live practice differently. This article does not treat those descriptions as interchangeable. The established point is that he practiced Friday and remains out of Saturday’s game while increasing his workload.

Neither report establishes a firm debut date. A later preseason appearance would still depend on the team’s decision, so practice progress should not be presented as a guarantee that he will play in Toronto’s next game. The availability report also does not announce a new injury diagnosis.

This is a preseason availability update. It should not be read as a decision about Leonard’s regular-season minutes or a prediction of how Toronto will use him once the season begins.

Checked October 10, 2026. Lead image: Kawhi Leonard during the 2019 NBA Finals, by Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. File photo, not from the Vancouver practice.