Kawhi Leonard makes his second Toronto debut when the Raptors host Chicago Bulls at Scotiabank Arena to open the 2026-27 season, tipping off in the early hours of Thursday morning for viewers in the UK.

The Raptors swept all three meetings between these two sides last season, though both rosters have been transformed since, with Leonard arriving from the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago overhauling its backcourt at the trade deadline.

How do Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors look heading into opening night?

Toronto finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season at 46-36, reaching the play-offs for the first time in four years before taking Cleveland the full seven games in round one.

That play-off berth needed a dramatic final day, with Toronto climbing from sixth to fifth only after both Atlanta and Orlando lost their final games of the regular season.

Chicago finished 12th at 31-51 and missed the postseason entirely, a disappointment that prompted a busy trade-deadline reshuffle sending Coby White and Mike Conley to Charlotte for Collin Sexton.

Toronto's side of the Leonard trade was steep, with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and four future draft picks heading to Los Angeles, underlining how much faith the front office has placed in the fit alongside Scottie Barnes.

Chicago went 3-2 in the preseason and Toronto 2-3, though preseason form rarely tells the full story once a genuine regular-season schedule begins.

Neither side has played a back-to-back around this fixture, with both teams eased gently into the live NBA schedule to open the year.

Toronto's efficiency numbers from last season point to the better-balanced side overall, while Chicago ran one of the division's leakier defences night after night.

Josh Giddey has taken over as Chicago's primary play-making option now that White has moved on, running the offence well through five preseason outings.

Collin Murray-Boyles and Jakob Poeltl give Toronto extra size on the glass, a frontcourt edge that should matter against a Chicago side still settling on its best five.

Caleb Wilson and Leonard Miller have been Chicago's most productive players in the preseason, giving the coaching staff genuine options even with the uncertainty up front.

Buddy Hield and Jordan Hawkins add shooting depth off Chicago's bench, while Toronto will turn to Jamal Shead and Ja'Kobe Walter in a reserve role behind its starting backcourt.

Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors team news and rotations

Chicago go into the opener without clarity on four frontcourt names, with Isaac Okoro, Nic Claxton, Zach Collins and Tobe Awaka all carrying a questionable tag.

Claxton's hamstring issue is the one that matters most, since it could decide who actually starts at centre, and Jalen Smith looks the likely alternative if he sits out.

Toronto's only designation belongs to Nate Bittle, who signed a two-way deal while nursing a foot problem and was never likely to feature heavily regardless.

Matas Buzelis played through a minor ankle tweak in the preseason but carries no designation on Chicago's injury report, so he should be available to start at the three.

Chicago also had to trim its roster to the league limit in the past week, with fringe camp players such as Orlando Robinson and Brandon Boston Jr. among those expected to miss the final cut.

Bulls vs Raptors - the key matchups that could decide this one

Leonard's duel with Buzelis is the obvious headline, pitting a six-time All-Star making his first regular-season appearance back in Toronto against Chicago's most athletic perimeter defender.

Buzelis enters his second NBA season as Chicago's most athletic wing option, and the Bulls will need him to hold up defensively against one of the league's most decorated two-way forwards.

Further back, Giddey and Quickley will dictate the pace for their respective sides, and the guard who runs the show more cleanly tends to swing fixtures like this one.

Quickley's pick-and-roll chemistry with Poeltl has long been a central piece of Toronto's half-court offence, and that partnership will be leaned on heavily again to open the season.

Player props for Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors

How have Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors fared head-to-head lately?

Toronto swept last season's series three games to none, including a thumping 30-point win in Chicago in March.

The closest of the three meetings was a nine-point win for Toronto in February, while the other two were both decided by double digits.

Both rosters have been transformed since, with Leonard, Sexton and a reshaped Chicago backcourt meaning last year's results carry limited predictive value for this fixture.

Still, the Raptors enter this one with genuine momentum after ending a four-year play-off drought in style last spring.

Our Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors prediction and best bets

Toronto's roster depth and the emotional lift of Leonard's long-awaited home debut make the Raptors the right side to back on opening night, especially with Chicago still working out its rotation up front.

A string of early-season absences for Chicago only strengthens that view.

Expect a high-scoring affair that tilts in Toronto's favour by the final buzzer.