NBA free agency is underway and Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. might be signing somewhere else.
Leading up to June 30, rumors were swirling that Trent Jr. would fetch a full mid-level exception from a contending team.
Given Toronto’s rebuild, it does not make sense for him to stick around at this point. Especially with Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett taking on the majority of the team’s offense.
However, Trent Jr. averaged 13.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals on 42.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range this past season.
But as the market begins to shake out, that mid-level exception may not be there after all for Trent Jr. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, he believes there is ‘real doubt’ surrounding the 25-year-old’s market:
“There is real doubt that Trent Jr. will even be offered a deal for the mid-level exception — by definition the NBA’s average salary amount and which starts at $12.5 million for the 2024-25 season.”
Perhaps, this means a playoff or contending team may get Trent Jr. on a little bit of a discount. This could also open up a possible return to Toronto.
After making $18.5 million last season, it seems like Trent Jr. might be taking a bit of a pay cut and maybe that results in a one or two-year.
These situations are fluid and thing could certainly change. At this stage however, it makes things more interesting to see where Trent Jr. could land.
If Toronto is open to retaining him, he becomes another possible trade chip come February at the trade deadline. Nevertheless, the Raptors and Trent Jr. might be parting ways soon.
Darko Rajakovic shares high praise for Gary Trent
Last season presented plenty of change for players due to trades, but Trent Jr. stuck around.
While winning was not at the forefront, head coach Darko Rajakovic praised his guard for his play despite some ugly losses.
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