Sometimes even when you know something is coming, it can still be a happy surprise.
News broke at 12:27 PM ET on Monday that the Toronto Raptors and franchise star Scottie Barnes had agreed to a maximum rookie contract extension, a five-year deal worth $224.89 million.
In years past, the news that the Raptors had agreed to a rookie extension would have been kept quiet until the "legal tampering" window opened, usually on June 30th or July 1st. The new CBA allows for teams to negotiate with their own free agents as soon as the NBA Finals are completed, which opened up a window for the two sides to get a deal done before the NBA Draft and start of free agency. The deal can be officially signed on July 6th.
Scottie Barnes is a max player
Barnes, 22 years old, just completed his third season in the NBA, averaging career-best in essentially every major category. He averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers; no player in NBA history has ever hit all of those marks. Barnes deservedly received an All-Star selection but a late-season broken hand held him out of the last 22 games.
The deal may contain language triggering the "Rose Rule" if Scottie Barnes makes an All-NBA team, wins Defensive Player of the Year or is the league MVP next season. In that scenario, the amount of the contract could be as high as $270 million. If the contract is just a standard rookie maximum extension, or if he doesn't make All-NBA next season, it is expected to start at $38.8 million and increase each season until he makes $51.2 million in 2029-30.
Cap expert Yossi Gozlan published a breakdown of the contract as currently reported:
Scottie Barnes’s year-by-year cap hit projections on his five year, $225 million maximum extension with the Toronto Raptors.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 24, 2024
It reach $270 million in value if he makes All-NBA next season. pic.twitter.com/1XrebixktR
Barnes will make just $10.13 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract as the No. 4 pick, and his salary will leap up in his fifth season and carry him to his ninth year. The contract in total is $224.89 million, and Barnes will be the highest-paid player in Toronto Raptors history.
The next domino for the Raptors may be a new contract for Immanuel Quickley, a restricted free agent this summer, as well as the NBA Draft on Wednesday and Thursday and the start of free agency next Monday.