Kawhi Leonard isn’t the only Toronto Raptor getting extended, and no, it’s not RJ Barrett either. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Raptors and Jamal Shead have agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract extension ($8 million annual salary). This deal keeps Shead with the Raptors through the 2029-30 season.
My immediate reaction to this deal is that it's a steal for Toronto, as Shead has grown into one of the premier backup point guards and someone who may even be leading the franchise from point soon. When you think about all the rumors surrounding Immanuel Quickley and what his future could look like with this Raptors team as soon as the trade deadline this season, Shead’s extension gets more interesting. IQ is locked up with the Raptors till 2028-29 at $32.5 million annually, and while he fits around Scottie Barnes, his contract and injury history are concerning.
With Shead now set to make $24.5 million per year less than IQ, and Toronto already facing cap constraints before even potentially extending RJ Barrett, Shead’s new deal may offer a Quickley escape route.
Shead's future is more certain than IQ's
There’s no denying that Quickley is a better basketball player, especially at this point, than Shead. We are talking about a player who can consistently give you around 16 points per game and shoot in the high 30s from beyond the arc vs. a backup guard who has struggled with efficiency.
The question, however, isn’t about who’s better—it’s whether IQ is $24.5 million better than Shead.
Even without projection, my answer is no, especially considering the Raptors' roster construction. When you have someone like Scottie Barnes who often plays point guard and thrives when he’s running the offense and making decisions, the need to pay a starting point guard big money isn’t real. The need for a pricey PG is even lower when you look at the rest of the Raptors starting five and the clear upgrades that could be made at center and potentially at the two, depending on how you feel about RJ Barrett.
On top of all that, isn’t Shead also a much better fit for the Raptors' culture and style of play? Darko Rajakovic loves pitbulls and aggressive defenders; Shead is exactly that. Shead was second in defensive on-off among players to play 900-plus minutes last season, behind only Scottie Barnes, according to Databallr.
Counting stats-wise, Shead averaged 6.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three-point range last season. He also led the league in total assists off the bench and set a franchise record for assists by a reserve. Yeah, his efficiency needs to improve, but with more usage and a bigger role, it’s easy to argue he could, considering he took just six shots per game in 2025-26.
Obviously, it would be crazy to think this extension means the Raptors will trade IQ today, two days before they open up preseason, but with Shead’s extension, Quickley’s future becomes less certain. He’s already been under scrutiny for the contract he has, and we’ve seen this past offseason how important financial flexibility is for front offices in the modern NBA. Paying a starting point guard $8 million instead of $32.5 million is one way to create that flexibility.
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