Gary Trent Jr.’s time with the Toronto Raptors appears to be coming to an end.
Trent Jr. is an unrestricted free agent and he has yet to sign with a team.
According to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, multiple league sources believe the Raptors are prepared to move on from the 25-year-old guard:
“Per a source, the Raptors were willing to bring the sharpshooter back at an annual salary of around $15 million when the negotiation window opened last month, but Trent’s camp was looking for a raise on the $18.5 million he made last season. Something in the $25 million range was believed to be the ask.”
The Raptors offer is no longer on the table, per Lewenberg. The Raptors have since made moves that indicate Trent Jr. is no longer in their plans.
Toronto used their 2024 first-round pick to select Ja’Kobe Walter, who’s seen as Trent Jr.’s replacement. They also used most of their cap flexibility to take on the contracts of Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov, along with a couple second-round picks from the Sacramento Kings.
The Raptors picked up Bruce Brown’s $23 million option as well. He will be a trade chip for the Raptors going forward, but Lewenberg suggests there’s a ‘real chance’ the 27-year-old remains on the Raptors roster to start the 2024-25 season and is in the rotation.
In terms of Trent Jr.’s current market, Lewenberg mentions one league insider suggested Trent would be ‘lucky’ to get the mid-level exception, which is valued at $12.5 million. He has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, but he could only earn half of that with them.
Therefore, wherever Trent Jr. lands it seems like it will be for a lot less than what the 25-year-old expected.
In 71 games with the Raptors last season, Trent Jr. averaged 13.7 points on 42.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent shooting from deep.
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