Gary Trent Jr.’s Toronto Raptors tenure is officially over.
He is signing a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Free agent G Gary Trent Jr. has agreed on a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, Rich Paul and Lucas Newton of @klutchsports tell ESPN. Trent reunites with Damian Lillard and joins a Bucks organization that recruited him hard to chase a title with them. pic.twitter.com/jXmQuCcRMx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 16, 2024
Trent Jr. will leave the Raptors after 3.5 seasons with the team. Toronto traded for him at the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for Norman Powell.
Trent Jr. will now be reunited with Damian Lillard who he played with on the Blazers.
The 25-year-old guard picked up his player option worth $18.7 million for this past season. He was banking that there was going to be a big market for him this summer.
However, Trent Jr.’s averages in the 2023-24 season dipped. He averaged just 13.7 points per game, which was his lowest since his second season.
Then Trent Jr.’s camp misread the market and as a result his value plummeted. The Raptors reportedly offered him $15 million when the negotiation window opened last month, but Trent Jr.’s camp was reportedly looking for something in the $25 million range, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
The terms of Trent Jr.’s new deal have yet to be announced, but it is believed to be a veteran minimum contract, which is worth roughly $2.8 million.
Trent Jr. singing a one-year deal will hopefully allow him to restore his value and help him land a bigger deal in the 2025 offseason.
Trent Jr.’s tenure with the Raptors
Overall, Trent Jr. averaged 16.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game during his time in Toronto.
He had solid stretches of play, but he was never able to develop into the player the Raptors had hoped for when they traded for him.
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