TORONTO - RJ Barrett smiled when he heard a question about his contract extension at Toronto Raptors media day, because he knew it was coming.
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it → smile → day
Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., had done everything that had been asked of him last season — be more efficient, get more rebounds, play more defence — and even excelled in Toronto’s playoff run.
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that → do → run
But he still doesn’t have a contract extension for the 2027-28 season.
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he → have → season
“I was waiting for that one; that was a good question, brother.
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that → wait → one
How am I gonna answer that?” said Barrett on Monday.
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Barrett → go → Monday
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.
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Barrett → average → games
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.
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He → drill → game
“I 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,” said Barrett.
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Barrett → think → ?
“And then terms of extension and all that stuff, I don’t control any of that stuff.
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I → control → stuff
“I just control my effort and what I do and how I train, how I come in to try to help the team.
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I → control → team
I’m just going to continue to control the things I can control.”
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I → go → things
The 26-year-old is entering the final year of his current contract, where he’ll earn US$29.6 million before becoming a free agent in the off-season.
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he → enter → season
Barrett’s next deal will allow him to make up to $44 million per season, but the Raptors are already well above the NBA’s salary cap for 2027-28 with fellow starters Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl signed to lucrative multi-year deals.
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starters → allow → deals
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.
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that → sign → penalties
Raptors vice-president of basketball operations and general manager Bobby Webster was asked Thursday if Leonard’s extension would impact Toronto’s ability to re-sign Barrett.
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extension → ask → Barrett
“No, I think ownership has been incredibly supportive,” said Webster, referring to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
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Webster → think → Sports
“Any time, financially, we want to make a go for it they’ve been very supportive.”
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they → want → it
Barrett said he was leaving all the negotiating — and worrying — up to his representation.
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he → say → representation
“For anybody who doesn’t know, my agent is Bill Duffy, (Barnes’s) agent too.
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agent → know → anybody
I have a pretty good agent, so I don’t really worry about stuff,” said Barrett.
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Barrett → have → stuff
“I think if I thought he wasn’t good, I might worry a little bit.”
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I → think → ?
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.
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Webster → ask → push
“We have a first-round pick in each of the next four years, I think that’s probably important to note,” said Webster, implying that the picks could be part of a trade package to shed salary cap.
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picks → have → cap
“I think we’re a million over the tax, but similar to last year, we can see how it goes.
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it → think → year
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).
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team → get → position
“If we want to go for it, we can still go for it.
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we → want → it
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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