Predicting the Raptors perfect starting lineup after a home run offseason

Shooting Guard: RJ Barrett

Placing RJ Barrett as the starting shooting guard is more about the rest of the roster than about Barrett, who can play either the 2 or the 3 comfortably as he did with the New York Knicks (he even occasionally played power forward in some bizarre lineups). If the Raptors like their options at the 3 more than the 2, then Barrett slides up to shooting guard; if it's the other way around, he'll start at the 3 as he did when he first arrived in Toronto this past season.

Slotting Barrett here does affirm that an ideal offseason would see him back in a Toronto uniform. He was brilliant after arriving in Toronto, and particularly when he was playing alongside a healthy starting lineup. He may just have been on a hot steak, but a Barrett playing at that level is someone the Raptors can rely upon. Add in that Toronto is his hometown and a long partnership makes a lot of sense.

The Raptors could look to use his salary to pursue a star, but it's not clear who that player would be and Barrett is much more than simply a contract amount. He has not been a clearcut max player since signing the lucrative extension, but he has been a strong scorer, playmaker and team defender and is still just 23 years old.

If the Raptors go in a different direction this summer, he could start at small forward alongside another wing with size and they could crossmatch defensive assignments as needed. In this possible future, he instead moves up to shooting guard and will play alongside his longtime teammate Immanuel Quickley, opening up space at small forward for a talented trade target.