Latest on Gary Trent Jr.'s Options as Market for Former Raptors Guard Slows

Former Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. is not expected to draw interest from the Los Angeles Lakers or the Denver Nuggets as free agency continues

Mar 12, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. (33) drives on Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland (3) during the third quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports / John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Trent Jr.'s options are continuing to dwindle.

The former Toronto Raptors guard is not expected to draw interest from the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Lakers, according to multiple reports.

"One source close to the process cautioned this week that the Lakers until they can move farther away from the second luxury tax apron, can’t even make a run at Trent," Marc Stein reported on his SubStack. "The Lakers, remember, are only marginally distanced from the second apron after LeBron James signed a new two-year deal that was less than $3 million shy of the $104 million maximum he could have received.”

As for Denver, the Nuggets can only offer Trent a minimum contract and are reportedly not interest in even going that far, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports

You can rule out Gary Trent Jr. as an option for the Nuggets in free agency, I’m told. He’s not going to take a minimum contract and I don’t think there would be much interest on Denver’s end anyway.

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) July 12, 2024

Toronto has also moved on with almost no space to sign the 25-year-old sharpshooter without dipping into the luxury tax. The Raptors opted to draft Ja'Kobe Walter and make a trade with the Sacramento Kings for Davion Mitchell and two second-round picks rather than re-sign Trent this summer.

Only the Utah Jazz have significant cap space to offer Trent an increase on the $18.6 million he made with Toronto last season. Save for Detroit, nobody else has enough space to offer Trent more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason.

It increasingly appears as though Trent will opt to sign a short-term deal with a contender and look to re-establish his market next summer when there may be more options available to him in free agency.