This wasn’t Gary Trent Jr. envisioned this season going. It was well documented that Trent hadn’t been on the same page with former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse last season. At times Nurse called Trent out publicly, ridiculing Trent’s defense and essentially warning the 25-year-old shooting guard to pick it up or prepare to be left behind. It stood to reason that Trent would have a better season this year, having opted-in to final year of his contract and with a new head coach at the helm. But things haven’t exactly gone as planned.
Trent’s role has shrunk this year. He’s averaging the fewest points per game since his sophomore season in fewer minutes with fewer shot attempts than at any point in the last four years. The only saving grace for him this season has been his three-point shooting that remains among the best in the league. So, what’s next for Trent? It’s entirely possible Trent has fallen into the mid-level exception conversation and is looking at something around $13.8 million per season over the next three or four years. That would open Trent up to the vast majority of the league as a free agent option if he’s looking for a fresh start. Toronto could go over that number using Trent’s Bird Rights. The organization has a history of taking care of its free agents and it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Raptors just bring him back on a deal above the mid-level exception.
He is after all the same age as Immanuel Quickley and just a year older than RJ Barrett. While he’s far from a complete player, it’s not hard to see why Trent would fit in Toronto’s long-term plans as a floor spacing off-ball guard who has developed a chemistry with Scottie Barnes over the years. “I think on the surface, Gary is 25 years old and the 40% three-point shooter, right? So you can start there,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said following the trade deadline earlier this year. “I think it’s a little TBD on Gary, but I think we’re watching him grow with this group.” But those are also reasons for other teams to be interested. Take the Detroit Pistons, for example. Sure, they’re heavy with guard players, but adding a 40% three-point shooter to a team that ranks 29th in three-pointers made per game would make sense.
Or there’s the Orlando Magic, the team ranked last in three-pointers made per game this year. They could create more than enough cap space to pursue Trent as another young floor-spacer to complement their developing core. By not dealing Trent at the trade deadline, Toronto put itself in a risky position once again. Trent’s departure wouldn’t be as seismic as Fred VanVleet’s last summer, but for a team that’s still rebuilding, the Raptors aren’t in a position where they can allow talented rotation players to walk for nothing. How Toronto handles Trent’s situation may prove tricky. He hasn’t shown enough to be worth a long-term lucrative contract but considering his age and shooting ability, it’s not hard to see someone still getting excited about Trent when he does hit the open market this summer.
