Canada’s RJ Barrett unfazed by trade rumours and evolving role with Toronto Raptors

RJ Barrett isn’t fazed by his ever-changing role on the Toronto Raptors or even the rumours that he might be traded this season.

Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., led the Raptors with 21.1 points per game in the 2024-25 campaign and was second on the team with an average of 5.4 assists over his 58 games. But with former NBA all-star Brandon Ingram joining the team this season and the rest of the starters all healthy as Toronto’s training camp enters its third day, it can be expected that his responsibilities on the court will change.

On top of that, there’s been speculation that Barrett — who has two seasons left on his current contract — might be trade bait. He was asked at Raptors media day on Monday about how he handles his ever-changing role and the trade rumours.

“I stay focused because I’m not just a one-dimensional player. I can do a little bit of everything. I think that’s one of my superpowers,” said Barrett at Hotel X in downtown Toronto. “Attacking and finishing, stuff like that, just different things. I want my game to be a little more improved than it was last year.

“I’m very excited for this year, the challenges to grow, to become more complete, a two-way player.”

Toronto is holding its training camp at the University of Calgary this week, including an open practice at Jack Simpson Gym on Friday. Toronto’s first pre-season game will be on Oct. 6 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver against the Denver Nuggets.

For long stretches of last season, Barrett and centre Jakob Poeltl were the focus of the Raptors’ offence, largely because Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley were injured. As a result, Barrett also led Toronto with a 28.7 usage percentage, a statistic that estimates the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the floor, in 2024-25.

But Barnes (27 per cent) and Quickley (25.1 per cent) are both healthy to start the pre-season, and Ingram, acquired from New Orleans ahead of last season’s trade deadline but never suited up for the Raptors as he healed a sprained ankle, will figure into more of the Raptors’ plays.

“I mean, it’s no secret you add Brandon Ingram into the mix, it changes things,” said Barrett. “We’re not gonna hide from that. (…) I’ve seen it from the time I was in high school and college, NBA, I’ve always played with good players, so I think about myself as I needed to adapt that I just want to win.

“Whatever, however, it shakes out for us, the goal is winning, and that’s what’s important. I don’t really, obviously, worry about myself too much.”

General manager Bobby Webster, who became Toronto’s head of basketball operations in August, was also asked about Barrett’s role on the team this coming season, with the emergence of Ingram and in light of the ongoing trade rumours.

“I think with RJ, we’re talking about his efficiency, and so his catch and shoot continue to improve, getting to the free-throw line,” said Webster on Friday. “Don’t expect him to see as many double teams, as much attention, so now he gets to attack some closeouts on the weak side. All those things he’s really good at – getting to the rim.

“The more you see that and the more efficient he is, the more valuable he’ll be. And then, listen, we push him on the other end and he knows that too.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press