There’s no time to waste. Here is part two of the Raptors mailbag. Thanks again for your questions, and sorry to all those whose queries I didn’t answer.As always, some questions have been edited for length and clarity. Here is part one, if you missed it.On a scale of one to 10, how likely is it that RJ Barrett might be willing to entertain a hometown discount (like Jalen Brunson) in exchange for the length of contract? And if you run the front office, do you adopt this strategy? Am I correct in assuming no other prominent free-agent former third picks are pining to relocate north of the border? — James A.The Barrett situation is tough, as he has played admirably in Toronto, shifting his game as the Raptors have required. Unlike Brunson, he would not be a maximum-value player on the open market. Barrett turns 26 on Sunday, and there aren’t a ton of comparable players who have hit the market to sign their second post-rookie-scale contracts recently, especially when they are so young.A few extensions are instructive, though. Last year, Brandon Ingram signed a three-year, $120 million extension heading into his age-28 season. Mikal Bridges, meanwhile, signed a four-year, $150 million deal that won’t kick in until next season, when he will turn 30. Looking for a player who hadn’t accomplished quite as much but was younger than both of those players, Nickeil Alexander-Walker signed a four-year, $60 million deal to leave Minnesota for Atlanta heading into his age-26 year. Still, none are a perfect stand-in for Barrett.In the harsh light of day, the first two contracts look like overpays (although the New York Knicks shouldn’t care if they win a championship with Bridges, obviously) while the Alexander-Walker deal was a steal after a year. Barrett is young enough and has changed often enough that he could improve with more development and consistency.What is fair, then: Four years and $130 million? And would Barrett give up $25 million to stay in Toronto? Maybe. He loves being here, and it’s undoubtedly good for his off-court earnings.Alas, if I were newly extended general manager Bobby Webster and the Raptors’ front office, I would not offer that contract to Barrett right now. Given how much Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and Ingram are owed, Barrett is too valuable as a potential trade piece heading into the last year of his contract to extend him now. And since the Raptors can sign Barrett to an extension right up until the start of the 2027 offseason, which Webster pointed out at his end-of-season availability in May, I am betting that is how they will operate.To be clear, that is not to say that the Raptors will be heavily shopping Barrett. I think they’d like to have him around for the long term, all things being equal, but since they’re not and the Raptors need all the flexibility they can get. If he’s still on the team after the deadline and they’ve missed a window for a more team-friendly extension, put it on top of the pile of the things that the other deals they’ve handed out have cost them.1. Was it a mistake for the Raptors to not totally tear down and fully tank, similar to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs?2. Now that they are here, besides internal growth from their existing players, what are one or two realistic moves they can make to become a serious championship contender?3. What would it have taken for the Raptors to hold on to OG Anunoby? Besides Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, who else would not have been on the current team due to having to pay Anunoby? Would we currently have a team with Scottie Barnes, Anunoby, Collin Murray-Boyles and Brandon Ingram? Pretty good defence — Michael L.1. I’m on record as saying I wouldn’t have made the Poeltl trade in 2023. I would have looked to move Siakam and Anunoby earlier than the team did, and I wouldn’t have made the Ingram trade. Obviously, a different world unspools as soon as you change a major decision, but in totality, I haven’t loved the decisions the Raptors have made in the last three-plus years. I can’t say they would have been better off if they followed that thinking because most paths lead to failure, especially if you’re judging it through the lens of becoming a top-tier championship contender. Still, that has been my view for a while.