NBA Rumors: Raptors Would 'Seriously Listen' to Gary Trent Jr. Trade Offers

The Toronto Raptors have languished near the edge of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament standings for much of the season, and they are reportedly open to trading one of their guards.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Raptors are "expected to seriously listen to offers for Gary Trent Jr." ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

Toronto has been one of the most disappointing teams in the league at 20-24 and seems more likely to miss the playoffs entirely than to make a championship-level run even with a roster that includes Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.

Perhaps altering the roster via trade could inspire better production, and one assistant general manager said, "They've told teams they're going to do something."

Fischer suggested trades involving Siakam or VanVleet are unlikely and reported the asking price for O.G. Anunoby will need to come close to the multiple unprotected first-round picks the Atlanta Hawks gave up to land Dejounte Murray.

That brings the team back to Trent, who Fischer reported is "positioned to decline next season's $18.5 million player option and test free agency," where he could make around $25 million per year.

Trading him now could help the Raptors get something notable in return before he potentially leaves in free agency.

Toronto acquired Trent in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020-21 season, and he has been a key scorer ever since. The 23-year-old posted a career-best 18.3 points per game last season and has followed with marks of 18.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists per game in 2022-23.

Trent is shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from deep this season as well.

Contenders looking for a shooter who can take advantage of the spacing that comes with playing alongside a star could certainly be interested. Trent is also capable of anchoring a second unit as a scoring spark off the bench depending on the roster makeup of an acquiring team.

The Raptors may eventually be factors in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but that apparently isn't stopping them from exploring potential trades to shake things up as the season continues.