Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors have reportedly agreed on a five-year deal worth $225 million as the Canadian franchise attempts to restart.
The money the fourth-year man could receive can reach up to $270 million, depending on his performance in the following seasons.
Fans agree that Barnes, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, deserves such a rookie max extension.
However, no one is surer than his coach, Darko Rajakovic.
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The sophomore head coach once ranted in front of reporters, complaining that Scottie did not get the correct call.
There, he proclaimed the 22-year-old to become the face of the league, among other things.
Darko Rajaković, among other things, said that Scottie Barnes will be an All-Star and a face of the league
— Law Murray 🛝 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 11, 2024
So I had to ask him about that. And Rajaković praised Barnes further for this work ethic, humility, ambition, and quest to be great rather than merely good pic.twitter.com/eWISkrGX3Z
That video of his resurfaced on the internet after the reported new deal of Barnes, earning Rajaković more admiration for his belief in his player.
"Scottie Barnes is gonna be an All-Star. He's gonna be the face of this league," Rajaković proclaimed intensely in the video.
He also talked about Barnes's work ethic, which he is showing for his team on his way to becoming a cornerstone for the Raptors.
"Scottie Barnes wants to be great. He doesn't want to be good, he wants to be great," Rajakovic said.
"Seeing how invested he is every single day, how much film he watches, all the work he puts in on the court, even talking to him this summer, he's such a humble and down to Earth player. At the same time, he has amazing ambition and wants to be really good."
Kevin Garnett congratulates Barnes
Rajakovic was not the only one who saw Barnes' success from a mile.
Barnes' rise is written in the stars, and NBA great Kevin Garnett predicted it.
KG pulled up his prediction of the Raptors star by quote-tweeting his old post.
"Scottie Barnes is a young OG! Not the elder statesman or the most accolades in Toronto, but he's the heart and soul. OG and the next up. I know about that... ," KG said in a January 18 post from 2023.
Scottie Barnes contract breakdown
Barnes' new contract will take effect next season.
He will earn $10 million this season, which is still part of his rookie deal.
His $225 million contract will be extended to an additional $45 million if he meets the supermax criteria, which include being named to the All-NBA team.
He will earn $39 million in the first year of the new contract, which will increase to $51 million by the 2029-2030 season.
Getting named to individual awards will require team success.
The Raptors are on a do-over after trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
The good news for Barnes is that he will have the ball in his hands a lot, which he earned based on his performances since becoming the Rookie of the Year in 2022.
His averages went from 15 ppg to 19.9 last season when he made the All-Star.
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