Report: Toronto Raptors To Be Moving On From Free Agent-To-Be

From all accounts, the Toronto Raptors have some big moves in store this summer. With a new head coach to name, and a trio of big-name free agents to deal with, it will be a pivotal offseason. And according to one report, it appears that Gary Trent Jr. will be one of the names that won't be returning—one way or another. 

Competing executives around the league don't expect the Raptors to retain Gary Trent Jr., who may opt out of his $18.8 million contract. But he'll need to do his homework to ensure that money is available in free agency (which may not be a lock in this market). Instead, he may opt in and eventually be traded by the Raptors.

                                                                        Eric Pincus, Bleacher Report 

Trent has been rumored all season to be opting out of his deal this summer, but as Pincus intimates, he's right on the bubble of his value in the market, at $18.8M.

The 24-year-old guard/forward spent his season in Toronto bouncing between the bench and starting unit, and he'll likely be looking for a more defined role in the starting five with a new team. He averaged 17.4 points while shooting 37% from long distance. But his numbers fell off significantly after the All-Star Break, to just 13.5 points per game.

A positive for him and his case to be a starter is that he performed much better in the starting lineup, with 18.7 PPG in 44 games, while scoring 14.8 PPG in 22 games as a reserve. 

Trent's hounding defense is another calling card of his game over the past couple of seasons. In 2021-22 he was among the league leaders with 3.4 deflections per game and 1.7 steals. He averaged 1.6 steals this past season. 

The Raptors, however, are expected to be spending a lot this summer on retaining free agent center Jakob Poeltl, and perhaps team leader Fred VanVleet (who can also opt out of his contract), so signing Trent to a long-term deal likely isn't in the cards.

Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports