Scottie Barnes can do anything the Raptors need from him. He can be their go-to defender at any position, act as the primary playmaker, and score a ton of points. Having a young star who can do all of that is great. However, it quickly becomes a problem when he has to do all of those things at the same time for the team to win.
To take the next step, the Raptors have to find someone, preferably a guard, to take over as a true number-one option offensively to ease the pressure on Barnes’s shoulders. Fans have fantasized about what this team could look like if the front office traded for Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, or Kyrie Irving, all three of whom could be available this offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes added a new name to that group when he listed Devin Booker as an “ambitious trade target” for the Raptors. What makes Booker such an ambitious target is, as Hughes put it, that “Devin Booker seems entrenched in Phoenix and has basically never been linked to the Toronto Raptors in any serious way.”
But he also added, “Phoenix might secretly want to be free of its massive financial commitment to Booker, who’ll average well north of $60 million per year through 2029-30.”
Availability and money concerns aside, Booker would be a great co-star for Barnes and boost the offense to an extent that would make the Raptors a truly dangerous two-way team.
It may be ambitious, but Booker would give the Raptors the offensive infusion they desperately need
In 2021, Devin Booker was the best player on a team that went to the finals, averaging 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists over 22 playoff games. The Suns haven’t made it out of the Conference Semifinals since then, but Booker is still an offensive force and would bring much-needed creation, scoring, and floor spacing to Toronto.
His 3-point percentage hasn‘t been great in the past two seasons, but he shot between 34 and 38% in five consecutive seasons before that. Opponents respect him from behind the arc. Despite shooting just 33% from three this past season, Booker still took almost six long-range shots per game and averaged 26.1 points.
Booker is more than just a scorer, though. He also dished out six assists per game in the 2025-26 season and averages 5.3 for his career.
Between his scoring, self-creation, and playmaking, he offers everything the Raptors need from a true co-star to make Barnes’s life easier. Adding him to Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, and whoever doesn‘t end up being moved in the hypothetical trade would immediately raise the Raptors‘ ceiling significantly.
Add us as a preferred source on Google