[14] In a televised interview following the game, when asked by a reporter about a spontaneous "Will Barton" chant that had broken out late in the contest, the guard replied, "I like to think I'm the people's champ," thereby instantly giving birth to a new nickname and a Trail Blazers meme.

[15] He went on to record 17 points and six rebounds on May 12 to help Portland win Game 4 of their semi-final match-up against the San Antonio Spurs.

On February 19, 2015, Barton was traded, along with Víctor Claver, Thomas Robinson and a lottery-protected 2016 first-round pick, to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee.

[19] Barton's strong pre-Christmas play earned him recognition as a possible contender for the 2015–16 Sixth Man of the Year award.

[24] On March 13, 2017, in a 129–101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Barton scored 22 points and went 3 of 4 behind the arc and 6 of 9 overall in his most productive outing since the All-Star break.

[27] On November 30, 2017, Barton capped a career-high 37 points with a driving layup with 3.2 seconds left to lift the Nuggets to a 111–110 win over the Chicago Bulls.

[30] On October 20, 2018, in just the second game of the season, Barton injured his right hip on a reverse layup in the third quarter of Denver's 119–91 win over the Phoenix Suns.

[37] On April 16, during Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Barton logged 24 points and five assists in a 123–107 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

[38] On July 6, 2022, Barton was traded, alongside Monté Morris, to his hometown team the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.

[39] Barton made his Wizards debut on October 19, recording 14 points, two rebounds and three assists in a 114–107 win over the Indiana Pacers.

[42] On January 29, 2024, Barton signed with CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League,[43] but on February 20, he left the team before playing for them.