Free-Agent-to-be Gary Trent Jr. Wonders Why Wouldn't You Want to Be a Raptor

Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. sees Toronto as a great organization to continue developing his skills as he heads toward restricted free agency this summer

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

It doesn't sound like Gary Trent Jr. will be leaving the Toronto Raptors any time soon.

Re-signing Trent has presumably always been part of Toronto's plan. When the Raptors traded away Norman Powell at last month's trade deadline the organization was hoping to get a little bit younger and potentially a little bit cheaper when the two guards hit free agency this offseason. In Trent, they saw a talented young guard who could replicate a lot of what Powell provided.

"Gary Trent is I think a [22]-year-old player with lots of upside, shooter, defender, fits our core team," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said following the trade. "That’s what we’re excited about."

The financials of the contract are of course going to be a major factor for Trent when he hits restricted free agency, but assuming Toronto is willing to pony up the almost $20 million per season he could reportedly get, it sounds like Trent has no interest in going anywhere else.

"It's a great organization. Their player development is solid, really second to none. You know what they stand for, what they've done, what they've proven, who they've brought through. How would you not want to be a part of that?" Trent told Sportsnet's Tim Micallef and Arash Madani.

It's somewhat unclear where exactly Trent fits into Toronto's rotation long-term and part of that will certainly come down to Kyle Lowry's future with the organization. If the 35-year-old re-signings with Toronto, it's likely that Trent will come off the bench much like Powell did for the vast majority of his Raptors career. If, however, Lowry leaves, Trent seems like a natural fit as Toronto's starting shooting guard playing alongside Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby with a new starting centre.

Further Reading

Freddie Gillespie won't share any details about Toronto's defensive scheme

Fred VanVleet says he's day-to-day with his hip injury

Kyle Lowry jokes about recent "rest" days