NBA Sets Salary Cap, Finalizing Scottie Barnes’ Contract With Toronto Raptors

The NBA has officially set the 2025–26 salary cap at $154.647 million, locking in Scottie Barnes’ rookie-max extension at five years and $224.2 million.

The Toronto Raptors forward will earn $38,661,700 next season, exactly 25% of the cap. Barnes will receive a raise of $3,092,936 each year, bringing his salary to just over $51 million in the final season. The contract is fully guaranteed with no options or incentives.

Barnes could have qualified for the 30% supermax had he made All-NBA last season, but he did not. Even if he earns All-NBA honors next year, his contract will remain unchanged.

The league has told teams the salary cap is expected to rise only 7% for 2026–27, short of the 10% maximum allowed under the new collective bargaining agreement, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Since Barnes’ contract is set to climb 8% in its second year, it will now grow slightly faster than the cap. Had the cap jumped 10%, his deal would have been worth just under 25% of the cap in 2026–27. With only a 7% increase, his cap hit is projected to come in around 25.2%.

It is a small difference, but one that matters for a team managing tight books. The Raptors have other decisions coming. Jakob Poeltl holds a player option for next summer and is expected to work out an extension before the season. Ochai Agbaji will need a new contract if he is going to stick around beyond this year.

Barnes was always going to get the max. Now the numbers are clear.

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