Raptors may play home games next season in Toronto

After the Toronto Blue Jays of the MLB had to play their home games in Buffalo this past season due to coronavirus restrictions in Canada, there has been discussion of where the Raptors may play their games when the NBA season starts next year.

How about Toronto.

Canada may move to rapid testing instead of requiring a quarantine for people coming to the nation, according to a recent report in the Toronto Sun.

BREAKING: This could be a game changer for NHL, NBA and MLB teams in Canada. @TheTorontoSun is reporting that government of Canada is looking at replacing 14-day quarantines at airports with rapid COVID-19 tests instead. https://t.co/UdvhCYDwJb

— Steve Simmons (@simmonssteve) October 22, 2020

The Raptors playing their home games in Toronto would be the preferred outcome for everyone involved. It just depends on how fast that rapid testing can be deployed.

There had been rumors that Toronto might move to Louisville and the KFC Yum! Center as a home base next season, but that idea is dead. Rick Bozich of WDRB explains:

Two sources who asked not to be identified said Thursday that there were discussions between the Raptors and the arena. But three sources told me and WDRB Sports reporter Eric Crawford that the discussions ended after Raptors players communicated their reluctance to play in Louisville because of the shooting death of Breonna Taylor by Louisville Metro Police officers as well as the social unrest that followed.

The report said talks between the city and the Raptors never got very far.

Louisville is a city hoping to get an NBA team into its arena, but the reality is they need a local billionaire and his buddies to buy a team and move it there for this to happen (the NBA is still not close to expansion). That’s not impossible, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon.