The Raptors are retaining one of the better young players in the NBA for the long haul.
Toronto is set to award guard Scottie Barnes a five-year rookie supermax deal worth up to $270 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The contract, which Barnes will sign July 6, makes him the highest-paid player in Raptors history.
Barnes is guaranteed $225 million, per ESPN, which would rank 17th in annual average value (AAV).
He could become the fifth-highest paid player in the NBA should he hit his incentives and reach the full potential of $54 million AAV.
The 22-year-old turned in his best season this past year, bumping his points per game to 19.9 and rebounds to 8.2 while securing his first All-Star nod in this third season.
The former Florida State Seminole has been good all three seasons in the Association, winning Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 and averaging at least 15.3 points per game in every season.
As part of his rookie contract, Barnes was set to make a little more than $10.3 million during the 2024-25 season prior to hitting the open market in 2025.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is the first player to sign a lucrative contract in his class, with 2024 being the first year any of such players were eligible for bigger paydays.
According to Basketball Reference, Barnes’ 15.9 win shares are the second-most in his draft class, trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley (19.3).
Despite Barnes’ stellar play, Toronto went just 25-57 in coach Darko Rajakovic’s inaugural season, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors, who traded Pascal Siakam to the Pacers and O.G. Anunoby to the Knicks during the 2023-24 season, went 3-19 in their final 22 games.
In locking down Barnes for the foreseeable future, Toronto can build around a core that also includes former Knicks guard/forward R.J. Barrett.
The franchise’s key free agents include guard Immanuel Quickley and Gary Trent Jr.
Toronto will look to lay the foundation for its first playoff berth since 2022.
