Gary Trent Jr. of the Raptors has been compared to Will Smith in the Fresh Prince empty room meme. The team recently traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, signaling the end of a successful era for Raptors basketball. The team is now focused on building around Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett. While the Raptors’ direction is clearer, there are still some uncertainties. The team’s non-committal approach to retooling is not necessarily a mistake, as maintaining flexibility has been a successful strategy for the franchise in the past. However, holding onto a player who may leave in free agency is not a wise move for the Raptors.
The Raptors had a perplexing February 8th, but before discussing Gary Trent Jr.’s situation, it’s important to note that their decisions were at least defensible. They traded a first-round pick for Kelly Olynyk, a quality player likely to re-sign long-term, and held onto Bruce Brown, a versatile combo guard/forward who should still be under contract next season. While unexpected for a selling team, the Raptors had plenty of 2024 first-round picks to spare and needed a frontcourt player who can pass, shoot, and dribble after losing Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. While not trading Brown could be a missed opportunity, the Raptors may receive more offers for him in the offseason when teams have more cap room.
