The Toronto Raptors face a trio of major contract extension decisions as they wrap up the 2026-27 offseason. Assuming the Kawhi Leonard deal is put through, they’ll have an obvious choice to extend the former Finals MVP. That obvious choice is also one I expect them to make with backup point guard Jamal Shead, who has become an integral piece of this team. Now, the third player who is extension eligible is RJ Barrett, and that’s when Toronto’s decision stops being so crystal clear.
As of now, Barrett is slotted to enter 2026-27 with one year left on his contract at around $29.6 million. After a successful regular season and an impressive playoff run where he averaged 24.1 points per game, shot 38.6 percent from three, and had a game-winner, there’s a lot working in his favor. On top of that, Toronto already extended both Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley long-term, who the majority of fans would agree are significantly worse than Barrett.
With all of that considered, it would be fair for Barrett and his representation to demand a salary higher than Quickley’s $32.5 million annually. That’s where the debate enters. Are the Raptors willing to overpay Barrett and go into cap hell, or will they look to trade the hometown kid?
Patience may be the Raptors' best route
For a long time now, I’ve made it public that I am pro-trading Barrett. At 26 years old, he is entering the prime of his career, is coming off an incredible playoff run, and is on an expiring contract, meaning his value may never be higher.Â
Obviously, some may argue those points I just listed would give Toronto all the more reason to extend him. While that’s a fair point, it also misconstrues the context of what led to the majority of his postseason success.Â
Because Brandon Ingram struggled so much and left the series early, Barrett was catapulted into an expanded role in a small sample size, and to his credit, he thrived. The issue is, barring any major accidents, he won’t see that role as long as Kawhi and Scottie Barnes are Raptors. They’ll be the ones dominating touches and driving the offense while Barrett plays away from the ball, which is a role he has never really thrived in.
In his Raptors career, Barrett is a 35.3 percent three-point shooter, and that scares me long-term. Never once has he been some knockdown guy, and if you’re going to play off the ball in the modern NBA, you need to at minimum be able to make the open ones. And Barrett hasn’t really shown he can do that in a large enough sample size.
It would be one thing if the Raptors were on a different timeline, one that didn’t have immediate title aspirations. But when you trade for Kawhi Leonard, it becomes championship-or-bust.Â
And the quickest way to narrow your window is by handing out overpays or bad contracts, which Toronto has already done with Jak and IQ. Barrett has all the leverage in the world right now, but that doesn’t mean the Raptors have to give in. They can play the slow game, avoid extension talks, and see if Barrett can fit into a role next regular season before committing to another three to four years of him.
This isn’t a decision Toronto should rush because the leverage is all on the other side of the table. Until then, the Raptors should let things unfold and evaluate his future when the trade market opens up and they can see what’s out there.
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