Barrett has been loudly announced in trade rumors for weeks now, and before returning from a seven-game absence, he addressed his stance.
The Toronto Raptors achieved their third-straight win in a 110-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Moda Center. RJ Barrett played in his first game since spraining his left ankle in a loss to the Boston Celtics on Jan. 9th. He recorded just 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 21 minutes and shot 0-for-5 from the three-point line.
While Barrett struggled to find his rhythm after seven consecutive absences, his presence has proven useful to the surging Raptors; in his last 19 appearances, Toronto’s record is 16-3. However, the former No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has appeared in just 24 games this season.
Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) | © Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
It’s no secret that Barrett’s name has come up as a primary trade piece as the Feb. 5th deadline rapidly approaches. Specifically, the former Duke Blue Devil has been linked to Sacramento in a potential blockbuster deal that would bring three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to Toronto (via Jake Weinbach with NBC Sports).
The contracts of Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl have all been mentioned as detrimental to Toronto’s future financial flexibility, and it has become evident that general manager Bobby Webster is looking to berid one or two of these contracts, especially if it means getting back a superstar caliber player to join Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.
Ahead of the matchup with the Trail Blazers, The Shift Sports’ Kayla Grey talked to Barrett about the trade rumors.
“I’ve been in this league a very long time,” said Barrett. “I’m also, Kayla, honestly, on social media. I see what [people on X] are saying. I see what people are saying when it comes to me moving on or being with other teams. What I’ve learned, though, with my time in the league, is to not speak on social media, to not speak with what I’m saying postgame or even pregame. A lot of my dialogue with what I’m making on the floor, but also when I’m out missing games due to injury, that’s the dialogue that I need to lean on.”
Trade rumors happen every season in the NBA, both during the season before the deadline and in the offseason before the season begins. Most players choose not to speak about the trade rumors at all, mostly because there isn’t much to gain from discussing them. At the end of the day, rumors aren’t facts; there may be validity in what people are saying, but nobody knows what’s true and what isn’t until a trade is solidified.
If true, Barrett acknowledging the rumors and choosing not to worry about them is a major positive. The sooner a player can understand that they cannot impact whether they are in rumors or not, the quicker they can focus on their game and helping the team win. While his counting stats have been lackluster throughout this season, Barrett and the Raptors continue to win when he’s on the floor. The win in Portland boosted Toronto into the third seed in the Eastern Conference, just a game and a half behind the Boston Celtics for the second seed.