With plenty of teams interested in him, Toronto Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. might be on the move ahead of the league’s Feb. 9 trade deadline.
A recent report revealed what interested teams would have to give up in order to acquire the sharpshooter.
“Meanwhile, league sources peg Trent Jr.’s likely trade value at a protected first-round or two good second-round picks, along with a matching salary,” wrote Michael Grange of Sportsnet. “From the Raptors’ point of view, the likelihood of improving your team by moving on from a 24-year-old who has proven himself as a quality perimeter shooter is relatively low. If Trent Jr. was determined to leave, or the Raptors didn’t believe they could re-sign him in free agency, the story might be different.”
One Raptors insider recently stated his belief that the Raptors will likely trade one of Fred VanVleet or Trent. Both players seem to have plenty of interest across the league, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a trade partner for either of them.
Trent could help out plenty of contending teams with his scoring ability. The 24-year-old is recording 18.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest this season while knocking down 44.4 percent of his shots from the field and 36.7 percent of his attempts from 3-point range.
If a team were to acquire the Duke University product, it would likely then want to sign him to a long-term extension. Trent has a player option for the 2023-24 season, but he’s reportedly expected to decline that. The former second-round pick might be seeking upward of $25 million annually for his next deal, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.
The Raptors just can’t seem to get out of their own way this season and are currently sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-29 record. They’ve won three of their last five games, but stretches like that might not be enough to lift them to a playoff spot.
They might have to settle for a play-in tournament appearance, but even that hasn’t seemed all that attainable at times. It’s been a very disappointing season for a franchise that finished with the fifth seed in the East last season and was competitive against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs.
There are just a few days before the deadline comes and goes, so only time will tell if Trent is one of the players that ends up getting moved.
