RJ Barrett needed a change of scenery to spread his wings. The open plains of Toronto, Ontario, Canada allowed him to do just that, and in his two-plus seasons with the Raptors, he's become the player that he teased Knicks fans about becoming for years. So why does it sound like the Raptors are willing to ship Barrett off before February's trade deadline?
I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Yes, the team has multiple massive contracts; Barrett himself is making $27 million a year, Scotie Barnes will be making over $40 million starting next year, so will Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley will clear $30 million until 2029, and Jakob Poeltl is owed $100 million, too. That's an expensive roster — keeping Barrett after next year, when his contract expires, might not be smart (or even possible).
My pushback to that would be... The Raptors are good. They can realistically compete in the East this season. Isn't that what they wanted all along? They acquired Ingram and Quickley to pair with Barrett and Barnes to win as soon as possible. They're winning as soon as possible!
Raptors should think twice before dealing RJ Barrett
Toronto is 4-6 without Barrett in the lineup, and 12-5 when he plays. Obviously there are more factors that go into those games, but it's not as though Barrett tanks this team whenever he plays, as a subset of Raptors fans would have you believe.
He's not a perfect player, and Barrett still has some of the shortcomings he possessed with the Knicks. But he's not as easy to replace as fans would have you believe, either. Is there a wing on the market who can score more efficiently and costs less than Barrett? If so, why on Earth would that team give that hypothetical guy up for RJ Barrett?
Teams always want to be proactive in their roster moves. But there is a such thing as too proactive, and the Raptors trading Barrett would fall into that category. There is no better time for the Raptors to make noise in the East than right now. Why trade an important player to today's success because he might leave the team after next season?
A few years down the line, the OG Anunoby trade worked out pretty perfectly for both sides. For some reason, the Raptors seem interested in parting with Barrett despite him becoming the player they wanted him to be. Make it make sense!