Look at who the Toronto Raptors just picked up in a blockbuster off-season trade! NBA veteran Kawhi Leonard has moved on from the LA Clippers, rejoining his former team and immediately improving its odds to win it all in 2027.
Leonard led the Raptors to their lone NBA title back in 2019. Now, at the age of 35, he’ll get another shot at proving his critics wrong by posting another impressive statistical season. Kalshi traders seem to be on board, as they’ve increased Toronto’s per-contract price up to 4¢ (from a penny) in the 48 hours following the trade announcement.
The Raptors surprised many fans this past season by securing a playoff berth under new head coach Darko Rajaković. This year, the team will have a genuine superstar as a starter.
And while the 2027 NBA championship prediction market trading tendencies still favor the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder on Kalshi, forecasters are looking much more closely at Toronto as a result of the June 30th trade. With more than $7.4 million in total trading volume, the market has elevated the Raptors all the way up to 12th place in the rankings.
Despite the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals domination and the Spurs’ epic championship series collapse, the Eastern Conference is still viewed as “inferior” to its Western Conference counterpart, which gives the Raptors a perceived leg up on their chances to reach the championship series in 2027.
If head coach Darko Rajaković can successfully incorporate Leonard’s skills into Toronto’s offense (and if Leonard remains healthy throughout the season), there’s no reason why the Raptors won’t reach the postseason, at the very least.
Futures trades are always a bit tricky during the off-season. There’s no trade deadline from now through training camp, so any NBA team can feasibly add or subtract from its current roster as it deems fit.
Still, we like the Raptors’ odds at 4 cents per “yes” contract. With that said, we think it’s completely reasonable for Toronto’s believers to wait until the regular season approaches to see if that price goes down to 3 cents per contract before buying. “FOMO” purchases are only justified if you think Toronto will upgrade its team even further before September, which isn’t likely given the two-year contract extension that the Raptors are expected to extend to Leonard.
The Raptors now have what they want: a youth-focused starting roster with a veteran superstar as its anchor and a rising talent at head coach. They may not be a favorite to win the 2027 NBA championship, but the Raptors are most definitely poised to repeat as a serious contender in the postseason.
Loading …
