After exercising his 2023/24 player option worth $18,785,000, Gary Trent Jr. is closing in on a “lucrative multiyear extension” with the Raptors, league sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
Trent will be extension-eligible on July 7, so a new deal would technically have to wait about a week before becoming official.
The 24-year-old had long been expected to opt out of his option in order to hit the open market and sign a longer-term deal worth perhaps $18-20MM annually. It seems as though that will be coming to fruition, but instead of with a new club, the young shooting guard will be staying with Toronto.
As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), Trent’s extension technically could be worth up to $116.4MM with a starting salary of $25.98MM in ’24/25 due to a change in how veteran extensions work in the new CBA. Murphy doesn’t think Trent will receive that robust total, but it gives more wiggle room for negotiating a larger sum.
Trent is coming off a solid two-and-a-half year stint in Toronto in which he averaged 17.7 points per game on .420/.374/.843 shooting while chipping in 1.6 SPG. He was acquired via trade from Portland in March 2021 for Norman Powell.
The Raptors have been active in free agency, re-signing Jakob Poeltl to a four-year deal but losing longtime veteran Fred VanVleet, who received a three-year, maximum-salary contract from the Rockets. Toronto quickly pivoted to replace VanVleet by signing Dennis Schröder.
If Portland & Toronto can find some way to exchange Ant Simons & OG Anunoby it might help both teams alot
One of the best comments i’ve seen on here.
Truth!!!
One of the worst comments I’ve seen on here
Gary Trent Jr. is really nice and glad to see they prioritizing him. He’s a guy that can guard three positions and is a knock down shooter.
You’re kidding right?? You’re more brain dead thana rock if you think this is true
I don’t know that it helps the Raps today, but Simons with some other assets could work short term for the Blazers and longer term for the Raptors.
Scoring the ball, esp from 3, is gonna be an issue for the Raps. Adding a scoring guard like Simons would def lighten Siakam’s load offensively. Simons is a guy that can score 20-25/night right now for Toronto & that would be very helpful in the short term. Though with him still being a young guy he should def be able to help them long term as well
But OG is a better, or at least as good 3pt shooter and one of the best defenders in basketball.
OG definitely isn’t the shooter that Ant is, especially off the dribble. Ant would bring the Raps something they don’t currently have in a young scoring guard who is a threat from 3. They have similar guys to OG alr. Even if they trade him they’d still have 2 very good 2way forwards
Seriously? OG is light years better defensively but in no freaking world is he anywhere near Ants 3pt shooting level. He shot over 40% the two years prior to this one.
No freaking way? OG is 47/37 career. Simons 43/38. I don’t see the huge edge to even come close to the massive defensive edge.
Do you even watch Ball, or do you just tweet dumb stuff for the sake of it??
Simon’s is hot garbage. Plus his contract is garbage.
OG is one of the BEST 3 & D wings in the NBA. You know, the position most in-demand throughout the league??
This trade makes NO sense for the Raptors. One of the worst takes I’ve seen on here, and you provide plenty of them.
Try and watch some actual Raptors before you open your pie hole and make your whole dumb nation sound stupid.
I love how at the end of your statement you said try and actually watch some raptors basketball. That’s the problem nobody wants to watch your crappy team. He literally suggested a fairly decent trade straight up and you went on a rant slamming him as a person.
Maybe you should take your own advice and watch some other teams play because Simons is way better than you apparently think he is. The raptors have Gary Trent because Simons is better than him. The raptors could have had either one in the trade for Powell however the blazers knew Simons was way better so he was kept and you got Trent. Go jerk off or something, you’re way to angry.
No thanks. Portland can keep ant