Scottie Barnes reportedly plans on staying with the Toronto Raptors for years to come.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 2023-24 All-Star intends to sign a five-year max contract with the Raptors that would be worth up to $270 million.
Toronto surprised some when it passed on point guard Jalen Suggs in order to select Barnes with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He proceeded to justify the investment by winning Rookie of the Year.
From that point forward, the 22-year-old has basically been untouchable when any outside interest arose. Across both the 2022 and 2023 offseasons, the Raptors made it clear they weren’t trading him when first Kevin Durant and then Damian Lillard were made available to the highest bidder.
Barnes’ performance this season reaffirmed why. He averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 blocks while knocking down 34.1 percent of his three-pointers.
The general fortunes for the Raptors told a different story.
They missed the playoffs for the third time in four years, and more than that, trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby signified a wider organizational reset. To call it a full-scale rebuild would be inaccurate, but this was the first time the current front office regime displayed a clear willingness to focus on the future at the expense of contending now.
Barnes is obviously a centerpiece of that strategy and re-signing him was a no-brainer because of the Raptors’ priority on keeping their homegrown talent.
As much as the city of Toronto should be a draw for major stars, they’ve long struggled to turn themselves into a free-agent destination despite the consistent success they’ve enjoyed. Part of the appeal behind acquiring RJ Barrett is that he’s not only a native of the area but also signed for three more seasons.
Prior to 2023-24, projecting Barnes’ value might have been somewhat tricky, thus potentially setting him some difficult contract negotiations. Him making his first All-Star team rendered the situation pretty straightforward. He put himself in position to get either rookie-designated max or something very close to that.
Team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster still have a lot of work ahead to make this roster good enough to challenge for a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference again.
The pair of Barnes and Barrett at least represent a solid foundation.