Lakers News: Potential LA Target Opts Into Final Season Of Contract, Will Not Enter Free Agency After All

The veteran wing seems to be reacting to a chilly market for his services.

Toronto Raptors shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. could have been an intriguing upgrade over Lonnie Walker IV and Malik Beasley on your Los Angeles Lakers' roster this summer, but probably not at the price he wanted. 

Apparently, the marketplace for his services this summer is a bit chillier than Trent and his representatives must have expected, as his Klutch Sports agent Lucas Newton and Klutch CEO Rich Paul have informed Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that he'll be picking up his $18.5 million player option for 2023-24 with Toronto.

Haynes adds that Trent is instead pivoting to a long-term future as a Raptor, and as such he and his reps are discussing an extension.

Across 66 contests (44 starts) in 2022-23, the 6'5" swingman out of Duke, still just 24, averaged 17.4 points with a slash line of .433/.369/.839, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals a night for the 41-41 Raptors.

Trent lacks the ball-handling or defense of Austin Reaves, LA's incumbent starter at the two-spot. Reaves is a restricted free agent, and the smart money is still on the Lakers matching any offer tendered his way by a rival club. Had Los Angeles let Reaves walk, Trent would have been a solid substitute, but realistically paying him anything in the neighborhood of his current annual rate for a bench role (or perhaps a small forward gig, with LeBron James shifting to power forward again) might have made him a bit too pricey for LA's front office.

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