While the Toronto Raptors and RJ Barrett have yet to agree on a new extension, the 25-year-old is expected to play a key role this season — even with Kawhi Leonard now in the mix. That said, Barrett’s long-term place in the team’s plans still doesn’t feel certain.
Different contract figures and term lengths have been floated (perhaps even taking a page out of the Knicks–Mikal Bridges playbook), and Barrett himself has said he'd like to stay with the Raps. But even when he sounds like the perfect PR-trained professional, he makes it clear that his agent handles the business side — and he trusts his agent to secure the best deal possible.
Some fans have concerns about keeping Barrett in the current Raptors landscape, both now and down the road. I share some of those worries, but I’m still a fan of the “Maple Mamba” alongside this core. As a Toronto kid myself, I can’t help rooting for one of our own to succeed — and that feeling was certainly on display during last season's playoffs.
And it's Barrett’s connection to Toronto that adds another layer to the extension talks. The hypothetical numbers being floated range from the mid-to-high $20 millions (around what he makes now) to $30 million or more per year. Immanuel Quickley secured a deal in that range, and there’s a strong case that Barrett is at least on his level, if not better.
Still, Quickley’s contract and Jakob Poeltl’s widely questioned extension have weighed on the Raptors’ salary sheet, making Barrett’s situation even murkier. From a business standpoint, Barrett should pursue the best deal he can; guaranteed, high-value NBA money is never a given. But beyond the money, how much will staying in Toronto (and being part of a winning team, maybe even one that wins a chip) matter to him?
Could national pride keep RJ Barrett with the Raptors despite a well-earned pay raise?
Well, Barrett recently touched on this in a post-Raptors practice media scrum. RJ was asked for his take on a recent Lu Dort quote, where the Montreal native said that winning a gold medal is more valuable than winning an NBA championship.
“I haven’t won either. So, I think when it's your country, it's a little bit of a different pride because one, we're not playing for any money anyways. And then two, it's just “Yeah, like this is where I'm from.”I love Canada. So, for me playing for the Raptors, I think winning the chip here would probably mean, it would be different because it's here. But in either regard, your country, you're always going to play for them. So that's just a certain level of pride that that you take in doing that, trying to represent your country. You would do that for no money at all,” Barrett said on October 7.
Right off the bat, the lines “not playing for any money anyways” and "You would do that for no money at all" stand out. I do recognize the context: Barrett was referring to playing for the national team, which isn’t a paid commitment. Still, the broader discussion of representing your home country (and the pride that comes with it) adds an interesting layer to his extension talks. He takes pride and joy in playing for his hometown team, and Barrett is also in a unique position as the only Canadian left standing with the Raptors.
Yes, I completely understand that everyone needs to make money and secure the best offer. And strictly from that standpoint, I’m not saying Barrett should take a massive payout or sell himself short. But given where the Raps currently stand financially, the first steps to an RJ extension may involve discussing a reduced value rather than offering him a massive pay increase. Things could change if Toronto manages to offload some bad salaries, but even then, the same dilemma could come up if RJ gets a huge raise too.
After all that, it could come down to how much Barrett cares about being part of the Toronto Raptors organization, representing his home country, and playing for a team that should be near the top of the East for seasons to come. There’s a very good chance he could reach the pinnacle of NBA success here, rather than simply take a pay raise from, say, a weaker team with cap space.
That’s sure to be on his mind, and on the minds of Raptors Nation, as this conversation heats up into next season.
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