Feb 1, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. (33) takes a look at the scoreboard against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Everyone expected Gary Trent Jr. to opt out of the final year of his deal with the Raptors and become a free agent. He opted in, which changes everything.
According to Chris Haynes, Gary Trent Jr. will decline his player option and pick up the last year of his contract with the Raptors. This takes a major free agent off the board. It seems like the Raptors could end up signing the player to a long-term extension. What does this mean for the rest of the league? Are the Raptors rebuilding or retooling going forward?
Toronto wants Trent Jr. to end up staying on the team for the foreseeable future and will be trying to sign him to an extension. Currently, his salary for his next season is $18.5 million. This will probably change after the extension.
What does this mean for the Raptors and Gary Trent Jr?
While it is a bit strange that the player is giving the team a while to figure out the long-term deal, it seems like Trent Jr will end up staying in Toronto.
This does signal a little more about the team’s plans. The Raptors aren’t trying to rebuild. This is something that was rumored for a bit even though the Raptors traded for Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline. The team didn’t make the playoffs. And many of their core players are on contracts expiring in the coming years.
But it sounds like the Raptors might try to keep things together and this could signal they will not trade OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam this offseason.
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