One of the Eastern Conference’s better scorers may end up on a different team come the summer.
Veteran NBA writer Jake Fischer reported to Substack on Wednesday that Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett may be a potential candidate for trade this offseason. Fischer notes that Barrett, 24, is under contract through 2027, at which point the Raptors will likely have to be thinking about an extension for fellow wing Gradey Dick.
Barrett, the former No. 3 overall pick, has had a fantastic 2024-25 season thus far. He is averaging 21.6 points per game to go along with a career-high 6.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Barrett has taken on a primary scoring and playmaking role for Toronto, especially with lead guard Immanuel Quickley missing all but 15 games this season due to injury.
But Barrett may be seeing his touches scaled back due to the Raptors’ recent trade acquisition of Brandon Ingram, who has No. 1 scorer written all over him (especially with the big extension he just got from Toronto). The 21-year-old rookie Dick will also continue to develop, and 20-year-old rookie shooting guard Ja’Kobe Walter looms as another potential long-term building block for the Raptors.
As it stands right now, Barrett is under contract for $27.7 million in 2025-26 and $29.6 million in 2026-27. Thus, the time to maximize a trade return on him would indeed be this coming offseason while Barrett still has multiple guaranteed years left on his deal.
It was not that long ago that Barrett was the sticking point in a potential trade for a six-time NBA All-Star that never materialized. Now Barrett could find himself on the trade market again this offseason, only this time with his value nearing a peak.
