Reports have surfaced that former Duke basketball star and current Toronto Raptor RJ Barrett could be on the move tonight during the 2025 NBA Draft, as the Brooklyn Nets are interested in acquiring a second lottery pick tonight. Brooklyn currently owns the eighth overall pick, and the Raptors own the ninth overall pick.
"Toronto is an interesting team to discuss entering the NBA Draft," Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported. "After having interest in Durant, Masai Ujiri is expected to remain aggressive in his hunt for more talent and to get the Raptors back in a playoff-contending position."
"As a result, the Raptors have continued to dangle RJ Barrett in trade discussions with multiple teams, sources said. Talk of Barrett being on the move has widely been reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Where Barrett could end up is a mystery at this time, but league sources have indicated Brooklyn's desire to acquire another lottery pick."
Although Barrett is being used as a trade piece around the league ahead of tonight's draft, most recent reports have signaled that the Nets seem to be the most likely destination for Barrett if he were to be traded today or during the draft.
Barrett, a part of the 2019 draft class with Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish, is currently on his second team after originally beginning his career with the New York Knicks, selected with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft.
The 6'6 guard was dealt to Toronto as a part of the OG Anunoby trade in 2023 after four promising but inconsistent seasons with New York. However, after landing with the Raptors back in his home country, Barrett flourished.
Barrett has averaged 20.2 points or better in both of his full seasons as a full-time starter with the Raptors, a mark he never eclipsed with the Knicks. His efficiency both from the field and the three-point line has been better through his time with Toronto than it ever was with the Knicks as well.
Could the former Blue Devil find himself a new home tonight back in the state where he began his NBA career? Time will tell as draft night trade rumors continue to circulate.