This is the first time Bobby Webster has made public comments since the team signed Kawhi Leonard. <\/p>\n
RJ Barrett smiled when he heard a question about his contract extension at Toronto Raptors media day, because he knew it was coming.<\/p>\n
Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., had done everything that had been asked of him last season \u2014 be more efficient, get more rebounds, play more defence \u2014 and even excelled in Toronto\u2019s playoff run. But he still doesn\u2019t have a contract extension for the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was waiting for that one; that was a good question, brother. How am I gonna answer that?\u201d said Barrett on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Barrett averaged 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks, with a 49.1 field-goal percentage, over 57 games last season. All those numbers were near or above his career averages and, significantly, his 1.7 turnovers per game were a career low.<\/p>\n
The highlight of his season was in Game 6 of Toronto\u2019s first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He drilled a 29-foot three-pointer in the dying seconds of overtime to lift the undermanned Raptors to a 112-110 win and stave off elimination for one more game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the playoffs are the biggest stage, so to be able to just show and prove who I already know that I am, that was pretty cool,\u201d said Barrett. \u201cAnd then terms of extension and all that stuff, I don\u2019t control any of that stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just control my effort and what I do and how I train, how I come in to try to help the team. I\u2019m just going to continue to control the things I can control.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old is entering the final year of his current contract, where he\u2019ll earn US$29.6 million before becoming a free agent in the off-season.<\/p>\n
Barrett\u2019s next deal will allow him to make up to $44 million per season, but the Raptors are already well above the NBA\u2019s salary cap for 2027-28 with fellow starters Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl signed to lucrative multi-year deals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leonard\u2019s is the most recent. He signed a two-year, $115 million contract extension on Sept. 23, a team-friendly deal that kept the Raptors below the first apron of salary cap penalties.<\/p>\n
Raptors vice-president of basketball operations and general manager Bobby Webster was asked Thursday if Leonard\u2019s extension would impact Toronto\u2019s ability to re-sign Barrett.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I think ownership has been incredibly supportive,\u201d said Webster, referring to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. \u201cAny time, financially, we want to make a go for it they\u2019ve been very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barrett said he was leaving all the negotiating \u2014 and worrying \u2014 up to his representation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor anybody who doesn\u2019t know, my agent is Bill Duffy, (Barnes\u2019s) agent too. I have a pretty good agent, so I don\u2019t really worry about stuff,\u201d said Barrett. \u201cI think if I thought he wasn\u2019t good, I might worry a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Webster was also asked at his news conference last week if there was any wiggle room in general to make tweaks to the current Raptors lineup for a deep post-season push.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a first-round pick in each of the next four years, I think that\u2019s probably important to note,\u201d said Webster, implying that the picks could be part of a trade package to shed salary cap. \u201cI think we\u2019re a million over the tax, but similar to last year, we can see how it goes. You can get under it if you need to, but you can add to it if you felt like the team is in position (to win).<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to go for it, we can still go for it. (…) There\u2019s definitely more left on the bone.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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