Predicting when every member of Raptors' starting 5 might leave

Small Forward: RJ Barrett

While Immanuel Quickley was the most valuable player heading back to the Toronto Raptors in the OG Anunoby trade, RJ Barrett was the most productive, scoring 5,374 points in 4.5 seasons with the New York Knicks. The former Duke player resided in that quasi-star zone, never truly in All-Star consideration but consistently pulling up numbers as the second or third option for the Knicks.

He was available to be included in a trade, however, because he never took that next step up into stardom. The Knicks hoped they would have a franchise cornerstone after drafting Barrett third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, right after Zion Williamson and Ja Morant went 1-2. While Barrett has been available and productive, he hasn't been special, he is a streaky shooter and his defense is good, not elite.

Barrett then arrived in Toronto and put up career-best numbers, averaging 21.8 points per game, 4.1 assists as a secondary playmaker and shooting 39.2 percent from deep. That version of Barrett might be good enough to thrive as the third option in Toronto. Given that he grew up in the Toronto area, if he can prove himself a necessary part of this core he could stay with the Raptors for a very long time.

Given that Barrett is better in an on-ball role than an off-ball one, and that they will be paying Scottie Barnes and Quickley a lot of money to be their on-ball stars, it seems more likely that Barrett will come back to earth this year and be a candidate for a trade to land either a higher-tier star or a couple of better-fitting role players.

Barrett's range of realistic outcomes is the largest on the team; he could be traded this summer or he could retire in Toronto. Factoring in the landscape of the league, the makeup of the current roster and this front office's penchant for looking into every star on the trade market, Barrett seems like a candidate to be traded next summer.

Prediction: Summer of 2025