Scottie Barnes injury: What happened to Raptors star? Details and more explored

Scottie Barnes exited the Toronto Raptors October 20 game against the Washington Wizards with a reported ankle sprain. Before his injury, Barnes had been dominating, dropping 23 points, grabbing six rebounds and shooting 10-of-14 from the field.

After the contest, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic noted that Barnes was "fine" when asked for an update on the impressive forward. Since Rajakovic's comment, there has been no update on the severity of the sprain.

It's worth noting that Draymond Green missed all of the Golden State Warriors preseason with an ankle sprain, although it could have been more severe than what Barnes suffered.

Barnes is one of the most important players for the Raptors. Entering his third NBA season, Barnes is expected to shoulder a significant amount of the offense as Rajakovic looks to develop the talented forward into one of the best players in the Eastern Conference.

With OG Anunoby's and Pascal Siakam's futures far from clear, Barnes' development will be of the utmost importance for the Raptors. In recent seasons, they have excluded their 22-year-old forward from trade negotiations for multiple superstars, reportedly including Kevin Durant.

The Raptors open their regular-season schedule on October 25 with a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be interesting to see if Barnes can compete in that game.

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Raptors refused to put Scottie Barnes in Damian Lillard trade talks

The Toronto Raptors reportedly refused to entertain the notion of trading Scottie Barnes to the Portland Trail Blazers for superstar point guard Damian Lillard. Here's what NBC Sports Editor, Kurt Helin said:

“Let me just say what I have heard, Barnes is not available. Portland fans love the idea of landing him, but I've been told by multiple people it's not that he was taken off the table. He was never in the same room as the table.”

Barnes is viewed as a future All-Star. The young forward is exceptional when pressuring the rim and getting out in transition. Toronto will likely look to work with him on improving his three-point game, too. Barnes is also a valuable defender with all the natural tools to become an All-NBA level defender.

As such, it makes sense that Portland viewed Barnes as an ideal return for Lillard. Yet, the Raptors were clearly not interested in parting ways with their young star. Toronto will now look to build a new team around Barnes as they look to accentuate his undeniable talent. However, it may take three or four years before we begin talking about Barnes as a finished product.