Toronto Raptors Fall in Eastern Conference Power Rankings After LeBron James to 76ers

The Toronto Raptors spent the 2025-26 season pulling themselves back toward relevance in the Eastern Conference, closing the year at 46-36 and locking down the fifth seed. With a Kawhi Leonard arrival pending, this summer looked like a step forward for a roster already trending up.

That optimism has been tempered for the time being. Leonard’s agreed-in-principle trade to Toronto, struck on June 30, remains frozen while the NBA investigates whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap, leaving the Raptors awaiting a resolution. 

The offseason picture across the conference shifted again on Friday. LeBron James agreed to a two-year contract that pays roughly $8 million and carries a player option, walking away from the Los Angeles Lakers to line up alongside Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia (via ESPN’s Shams Charania).

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote in a statement posted to X.

James, who had weighed retirement before committing to play on, framed the choice as a final chapter. 

“This is my last decision,” he added. “I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family.”

The move points the 41-year-old forward toward a 24th NBA season, a league record, with a fifth championship still the goal. And a 25th season is not ruled out. The all-time regular-season scoring leader at 43,440 points, James posted 20.9 points and 6.1 rebounds a night while adding 7.2 assists over 60 games for the Lakers this past season, and his new deal marks a sharp drop from the nearly $53 million Los Angeles paid him. Philadelphia becomes the fourth franchise of his career that began as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2003 draft.

James’ arrival shakes up the top of the East. Here at RaptorsRoundtable, Toronto had slotted ahead of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Power Rankings heading into the week. James joining Embiid, the 2022-23 MVP, changes the outlook, and the 76ers now move above the Raptors, dropping Toronto one spot.

Toronto’s returning group of Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley remains a sturdy foundation, and Leonard would raise the floor and ceiling considerably. The 35-year-old averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games for the Clippers last season, and he owns Finals MVP honors from the franchise’s lone title run in 2019.

For now, that addition sits in limbo. Toronto declined the league’s request to take on any penalties that might come out of the Clippers probe, which centers on Leonard’s $28 million endorsement deal with the now-bankrupt company Aspiration, and is waiting on the findings before finalizing the deal.

There is no firm timetable for the investigation, which the league hopes outside counsel will wrap this summer. Until it does, the Raptors settle a spot lower in the conference pecking order.