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Scottie Barnes agrees to five-year, $224.9 max rookie contract extension to stay in Toronto

Dallas Mavericks v Toronto Raptors

TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 28: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on February 28, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

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When the Toronto Raptors traded Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby at the February deadline to build around Scottie Barnes, this next step seemed inevitable.

Toronto has offered and Barnes will sign a five-year max contract extension to stay with the Raptors, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. This contract is worth $224.9 million — 25% of the salary cap — now and could be worth up to $269.9 million (30% of the cap) should he make All-NBA (or win MVP or Defensive Player of the Year, but those are much longer shots).

Barnes will make $10.1 million this season in the final year of his rookie deal, and then this new contract kicks in. He can’t officially sign it until July 6, when the NBA’s signing moratorium lifts, but under the terms of the new CBA, the sides could work out the deal now before free agency opens.

Barnes was an All-Star last year in his third NBA season, averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists a game while shooting 34.1% from 3 (and a 56.6 true shooting percentage that was right about the league average). The former Florida State standout missed the final 22 games of the regular season due to hand surgery.

That means we only got 10 games in which Barnes was healthy and played alongside RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who came over from the Knicks in the Anunoby trade. The Raptors had a solid +3.8 net rating when all three were on the court, and the team’s preferred starting five in that stretch — Barnes, Barrett, Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., and Jakob Poeltl — had a +11.8 rating.

The Raptors are a rising team in the East, but that is based on Barnes taking more steps forward with his game and going from All-Star to All-NBA level in the coming years. Now they will be paying him like one of those elite stars.