There is plenty of interest in Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Without there being many sellers looking to deal, there has been much speculation made about the cost to acquire key names.
As the deadline nears, teams that face urgent situations — such as navigating situations of expiring contracts — may need to come down on their asking price. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, the Raptors may be doing just that regarding trade talks involving Trent.
“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 Grange. “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.”
There are plenty of contending teams that could benefit from Trent’s scoring ability. This season, the 24-year-old is averaging 18.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while making 44.4 percent of his shots from the field and 36.7 percent from three.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Gary Trent Jr & Toronto Raptors Updates
After acquiring him, a team would probably sign him to a long-term extension. It’s believed Trent will decline his player option for 2023-24. Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reports that the former second-round pick may be seeking upwards of $25 million per year for his next deal.
With a 23-29 record, the Raptors are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Even though they’ve won three of their last five games, stretches like that might not be enough to get them into the playoffs. It hasn’t seemed all that attainable at times, even if they qualify for a play-in tournament. After finishing with the fifth seed in the East last season and playing against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs, this season has been very disappointing.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Gary Trent Jr & Toronto Raptors Updates
In the meantime, it will only be a matter of time before we find out if Trent will be one of the players that are moved by the deadline.
