When Will Kawhi Leonard Return to Action? Raptors Issue Health Update

On Oct. 28, Kawhi Leonard posted "Returning soon," a short message after his knee injury was announced. Two weeks later, he is still not back.

The Raptors released a fresh health update on Tuesday that points to a longer wait than that message suggested.

"The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that forward Kawhi Leonard is continuing the reconditioning process after treatment to address left knee swelling," the team said. "An update will be provided in a week."

The statement did not give a return date. It is the third weekly update the team has issued on Leonard, and it comes with another seven-day window.

The wording is a change from the previous report. On Nov. 3, the Raptors announced that Leonard had completed treatment to address left knee swelling and was beginning the "return to play process" in Toronto, with progress to be updated in one week, which put the earliest possible return at Wednesday's game against Boston.

Tuesday's update says he is "continuing the reconditioning process," which suggests he is still working his way back and has not cleared that stage.

That makes the Boston game unlikely, though the team has not ruled it out. Leonard has not played since Oct. 23. He was a late scratch from Toronto's game against the Timberwolves on Oct. 25 because of swelling in his left knee, and the team said tests revealed no acute injury. An MRI showed no structural damage. That is good news, but swelling can linger even without structural damage.

The pattern is a reason for caution. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Leonard was expected to be sidelined for approximately three to four weeks, which would put a return between roughly Nov. 15 and Nov. 22.

The Raptors have not confirmed that timeline, but each update so far has pointed to a slow, step-by-step process.

Toronto has been without him for a significant stretch. Toronto went 2-3 in the five games he missed through the Nov. 3 update. In his two games this season, he averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals.

Those numbers show why the team wants him back, since he made an immediate impact when he was on the floor.

The investment makes the caution understandable. The 35-year-old is in his first season back with the Raptors after being traded from the Clippers this offseason, and he agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension after the trade.

A team that has just committed that money will not want to rush a player with his history. Leonard has previously had multiple surgeries on his right knee for the meniscus and ACL, but this injury is to the left knee, which is a different situation.

The last time Leonard dealt with a serious injury was when he missed the first 34 games of the 2024-25 season with the Clippers because of chronic inflammation in his right knee. The Raptors can look at that precedent and see why a slow return process might be the right choice.

Until the Raptors say otherwise, the safest assumption is that he is out. The team has now said three times that it will update his progress in a week, and none of those updates has included a date. Fans who saw “Returning soon” on Oct. 28 are still waiting for the sequel.