Bobby Webster and RJ Barrett Must Have A Domantas Sabonis Trade Conversation

The 2026-27 NBA season is rapidly approaching, and the Toronto Raptors still have several unanswered questions. Will the trade go through for seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard? Are Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley good enough starting role players to help contend for a championship this season? Is general manager Bobby Webster going to extend RJ Barrett before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer?

Simply put, the answers to all of these questions are complex. All signs point toward Leonard returning to Toronto, although there have been crickets from the Los Angeles Clippers and Raptors since the conclusion of the investigation. Poeltl and Quickley have shown flashes of greatness that would absolutely assure the franchise they can help the team reach the ultimate goal, but questionable durability and consistency limit that answer from being emphatic. 

Determining the answer to the final question, though, has several moving parts attached. The Toronto native has publicly expressed his desire to stay with the Raptors for the rest of his career, and as it stands, that notion will be put to the test after this season. The 26-year-old former Duke Blue Devil will earn $29.6 million this season before testing the free agency market next season. Assuming Leonard is traded and extended this month, Toronto will severely lack the funds to keep Barrett on a similar deal moving forward. 

There really is no point for either side to wait to negotiate an extension. Webster and the Raptors know that if Barrett is going to stay in Toronto for the foreseeable future, it will be on a favorable contract because there really is no other option in order to stay under the luxury tax aprons. For Barrett, his stock may be at its highest after an impressive first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he led the team in scoring through seven games. There is no scenario where he can play this season to prove that he deserves more money with the Raptors. If he declines the extension, he will have the opportunity to prove himself to the other 29 franchises and earn more money in the coming years. 

At the end of the day, it may be best for both parties to have an honest conversation about what is really the goal for the former No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. If Webster is candid enough to ask Barrett whether he is more interested in making the most money as opposed to staying home and contending for a championship on a team-friendly deal, then one would hope Barrett would express his true feelings in the situation. If he decides the deal that Toronto would be able to offer him isn’t in his best interest, then Webster should lay down options for trading him before the summer is over. 

Specifically, a deal for Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis makes the most sense. Sacramento has reportedly expressed interest in Barrett, largely due to Kings general manager Scott Perry being the one who made the decision to draft Barrett to the New York Knicks. That relationship has not wavered, and with Sabonis looking to find a situation where he has a chance of winning, this could be the perfect partnership. Even more so, Poeltl would likely have to be included in the deal to match salaries, something the Kings have made clear they did not want to do at last season’s midseason trade deadline. With a growing urgency to part ways with the three-time All-Star, they may be forced to accept the deal without getting significant draft compensation in return. 

Given this scenario, it would make sense for both the Raptors and Barrett to pursue the trade if and only if he makes it clear to Webster that he needs more money than the Raptors can afford. Time is not on Toronto’s side to find answers to these significant questions before training camp begins, but one conversation could drastically change the scope of the franchise’s title aspirations depending on how it is received by Barrett and his agent, Bill Duffy.