As the NBA offseason was coming to an end, the Toronto Raptors started to get a lot of buzz about potentially being in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, with the team’s front office reportedly in talks with the Portland Trail Blazers.
This led to a lot of speculation about what the Raptors might be offering the Blazers in this deal, with stars Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes possibly being dangled as trade bait in order to acquire one of the best scorers in NBA history.
Ultimately, nothing came to fruition between the Raptors and the Blazers, with Portland putting together a three-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Lillard ended up being shipped to Milwaukee in this deal in order to play alongside fellow superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, which leaves the Raptors as currently constructed ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
On Wednesday, some footage came out of the team’s training camp, with Barnes seemingly unfazed by all the trade talk and locked in when it comes to shooting beyond the arc, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN via Hoop Central.
Scottie Barnes is automatic from the corner. ?
(via @JLew1050)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 4, 2023
Although Barnes’ shot from deep is anything but pretty, as it is an awkward motion, seeing him hitting these threes is likely a beautiful sight for Raptors fans after he shot 28.1% from deep last season, which was a drop from his rookie campaign when he was shooting 30.1% from beyond the arc.
Obviously, Barnes isn’t going to be the next Stephen Curry, but it’s possible he’s been working on his outside game and might shake things up this season.
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