RJ Barrett may have already delivered the kind of Raptors moment that sticks forever, even if his long-term future in Toronto ends up somewhere else.
That’s the tension hanging over Barrett right now. He’s the hometown star, the player who grew up with the Raptors as Canada’s lone NBA team and has said he wants to stay.
But his name is back in trade talk, and this time the possibility feels real. With his contract set to expire after this upcoming season and Toronto staring at a tricky financial picture, the front office can’t afford to rush into another extension that could become a problem later.
That makes Barrett one of the team’s most valuable trade pieces. Outside of untouchable players like Scottie Barnes, Leonard, and Collin Murray-Boyles, his combination of production, playoff value, and expiring salary puts him right at the center of the conversation. He reportedly already drew trade interest over the summer, and there’s also a strong belief that Ja’Kobe Walter will eventually be a better fit in the starting lineup because of his 3-and-D profile.
If this does turn into Barrett’s last chapter in Toronto, he at least has one memory nobody can erase.
His Game 6 buzzer-beater was the kind of shot that can define a career, and Barrett delivered it in the biggest possible setting. He was one of the Raptors’ playoff heroes, especially when Brandon Ingram struggled to score and Barrett picked up the slack alongside Scottie Barnes.
The finish itself had all the drama you’d expect from a playoff knockout punch. Toronto led 104-102 with 11.6 seconds left in Game 6, but Evan Mobley scored to send it to overtime.
The extra period stayed tight, and Donovan Mitchell put the Cavs up by two with 33.7 seconds remaining. Jamal Shead then made one free throw and missed the second, leaving Toronto scrambling for one more stop.
The Raptors got it. They forced a turnover from Evan Mobley, and Barrett buried the 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to win the game and force Game 7.
For Barrett, doing that in his hometown, in front of a fanbase that had gone through several rebuilding seasons and was hungry for playoff joy, made the moment even bigger. The shot also carried a familiar echo of Kawhi Leonard’s 2019 game-winner, which only sharpened the sense of occasion.
Even if Barrett’s Raptors future gets complicated from here, that shot belongs to him forever.
In Other News...
RJ Barrett Opens Up About Watching The Knicks Win Without Him
RJ Barretts first season in Toronto gave Raptors fans plenty to track, and now hes adding a little more perspective to the conversation after watching his old Knicks teammates celebrate a championship run without him. Barrett said his feelings were complicated at first, the kind of reaction that comes naturally when a player sees a former team reach the top after moving on from him. Even so, he made it clear the bitterness did not last, and that he was ultimately happy for the guys he once shared the floor with in New York.
For Toronto, the more relevant part of Barretts comments may be the way he turned the focus back to what comes next. He had an encouraging message for Raptors fans about the season ahead, pointing to the teams added talent and the need for the building to stay behind them. Barrett has already shown he can be a useful piece in Torontos plans, and his outlook suggested there is a belief inside the locker room that better basketball is ahead if the group settles in and the support follows. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Fans Just Got A Reminder About One Recent Roster Cut
The Raptors have already made a quick decision on one of their newer backcourt pieces, converting Jaden Bradley from a two-way deal into a standard contract after taking him 50th overall in the draft. It is another sign that Toronto wants to see what it has in the rookie guard, who arrived with some buzz after a productive senior season at Arizona and has already moved from fringe depth to a more secure spot on the roster.
Now the opening Bradley leaves behind is expected to be filled by Malachi Smith, a guard Brooklyn recently waived before Toronto steps in with a two-way contract. For the Raptors, it is a small but meaningful bit of roster churn, the kind that often says as much about how a team is sorting through its developmental pipeline as any headline move does. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Just Made A Kawhi Gamble Fans Will Debate For Years
The Raptors have swung big again, bringing in Kawhi Leonard in a move that instantly changes the tone around the franchise. His arrival should raise the teams ceiling in the short term and give younger players a sharper, more demanding standard to develop around, which is exactly the sort of lift a team on the rise is hoping for when it pushes its chips to the middle.
The cost, though, is what will keep this deal under the microscope. Leonards injury history makes any long-view bet feel uneasy, and Toronto also gave up important future draft flexibility to get him, a price that could sting if the current group does not mature into a true contender in time. It is the kind of gamble that can look bold in the moment and be debated for years after. [Read more 🡒]