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The name of Gary Trent Jr. resurfaced in trade talks before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. It has become somewhat of an annual tradition. Trent’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors has been scrapped time and time again. Last year and over the summer, he was supposed to be on his way out of town at the trade deadline, but the 25-year-old skipped all that.
This time, however, Trent is headed for unrestricted free agency, and according to Action Network’s Matt Moore, he is one of the Raptors players most frequently mentioned in trade talks. The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are said to be interested.
Trent has had a down year this season, averaging just 11.7 points, the lowest number since his sophomore campaign. That said, his three-point shooting remains impressive, sitting at 41.5% and he could certainly add some offensive firepower off the bench for a playoff team.
He’s set to earn $18.6 million this year, making it a little difficult to find a trade with the Lakers. Los Angeles would have to trade at least one of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, or Gabe Vincent, all of whom have long-term contracts which would restrict Toronto’s flexibility moving forward.
A deal with the Nets is a little easier as Brooklyn has multiple avenues to match salaries. The Nets have multiple first-round picks from Phoenix along with a 2029 pick from Dallas as well as multiple future second-round picks that could entice Toronto into a deal.
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