Toronto Raptor’s guard Gary Trent Jr. has been the subject of trade speculation for several days. The Los Angeles Lakers showed interest in signing Trent at a lower price. However, shutting down all speculation, Trent is reportedly on the move after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The decision behind Trent’s move is to reunite with Damian Lillard and contend for a championship on a one-year minimum contract.
“In the end, he opted to reunite with Damian Lillard and contend for a championship on a one-year minimum ($2.6 million) rather than taking multi-year offers at the smaller mid-level ($5.2 million in Year 1) that were on the table,” NBA insider Blake Murphy reported.
Trent Jr. kicked off his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. With the move, he is rejoining Damian Lillard, his former teammate, from their time together on the Portland Trail Blazers between 2018 and 2021.
Raptors GM Addresses Gary Trent Jr.’s Situation with the Raptors
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster responded that Trent Jr. had remained with the Toronto Raptors before joining the Bucks.
“Gary is 25 years old and a 40 percent 3-point shooter. So you can start there. I think he probably would even admit he didn’t get off to as good of a start as he would have wanted to, but he’s settled in now and we’re seeing it. So I think it’s a little TBD on Gary, but I think we’re watching him grow with this group,” Webster said, per The Athletic.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
The general manager later acknowledged that Trent’s season had a rocky start but praised his recent performance.
“We’re watching him pick and choose his spots offensively. I think you’re seeing him be a bit more aggressive defensively, which we’ve seen over the years,” he added.
Gary Trent Jr. is coming off a season where he averaged 13.7 points. He also shot 39.3 percent from beyond the arc, the second-highest clip of his career. Notably, he hit 43.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.
