For a sophomore player not having the best of seasons, there is still a lot of hype around the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes. The youngster has struggled to build on an incredible rookie season, but the franchise is still committed to building around him. As they should too, Barnes has massive potential and could become one of the NBA’s biggest stars in the years to come.
Scottie Barnes has already drawn comparisons to some of the best players in the league. Draymond Green compared the Raptors youngster to himself, saying that he sees the same defensive hustle, tenacity, and vision in Barnes. And Scottie is already a better scorer than Draymond in his second season in the league, so he could even surpass that.
In the same article from The Athletic, though, Barnes was asked about playing with Green’s superstar teammates, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. And while another youngster might have gotten excited and given an answer, Barnes showed his savvy by giving a guarded response to the question.
“I wouldn’t say I wonder that,” Barnes said Friday morning when asked if he’s ever thought about what it would be like to play with such shooters as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. “I don’t know how to answer that. You trying to set me up?”
The Toronto Raptors have been linked with trading away a lot of their stars this season, even an All-Star like Pascal Siakam is reportedly on the trading block. So it makes sense that Barnes was cautious about his answer to a question like that, even though the Raptors have shown they wouldn’t trade him even to get a huge star.
Reports In The Summer Suggested The Raptors Didn’t Want To Give Up Scottie Barnes In A Potential Kevin Durant Trade
The biggest trade story of the offseason was Kevin Durant, who had asked to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets. And when they were still looking at offers for him, the Toronto Raptors were mentioned as an interested party. But according to NBA insiders, the team didn’t want to include Barnes even in a deal of that magnitude.
“I don’t think they would trade Scottie (Barnes) for Kevin Durant with the age factor. I mean the Raptors are definitely very excited about the future of what that guy could lead them to one day.”
If that’s not a massive vote of confidence, it’s hard to say what is. Scottie Barnes could well become a star one day, and that’s probably what the Raptors are counting on. But despite his cautious answer, it’s a no-brainer that any player would love to play alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, he doesn’t have to say it.
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