The 3 most underpaid Toronto Raptors entering next season

No. 1: Scottie Barnes

There was always going to be one player in his own stratosphere when it comes to being underpaid, and that is Scottie Barnes. The 2023 All-Star forward is entering the final season of his rookie contract and will make a paltry $10.1 million this season.

Barnes is in line for a windfall starting the next year, 2025-26, when his maximum extension kicks in and will pay him $38.6 million in that first season, and $224 million over five years. If he makes an All-NBA team next year, that number will bump up to $270 over five years.

This exercise is only speaking of this year, however, and Barnes is a phenomenal value at just $10 million. He is easily the best player on the team, the driving force on offense as a scorer and playmaker, a point forward continuing to grow as a multi-dimensional offensive player.

Adding in the defense is what makes him truly special. He is both strong and fast, making him capable of defending inside, rotating to block shots at the rim and active in passing lanes. He's a good rebounder, an improved shooter and already a vocal leader. It's not clear whether he will top out as a Top-15 player or a Top-5 player, but the trajectory is in place.

The Raptors will probably be stuck in the middle ground between the playoffs and the basement of teams trying to "Capture the Flagg" by tanking away the season. If they are not, if they can rise to the top of the middle class and secure a Play-In berth, it will because Scottie Barnes took them there, and while making relatively pennies in modern NBA terms.

He is undeniably the most underpaid player on the Toronto Raptors roster.