NBA Rumors: Gary Trent Jr. expected to leave Raptors in free agency

NBA Rumors: There’s a growing belief that the Toronto Raptors won’t re-sign Gary Trent Jr. this offseason. 

This offseason could end up being a pivot point for the Toronto Raptors. After back-to-back lackluster finishes to their season in the last two seasons, it’s almost impossible to predict what the Raptors will do this summer. Two players that the Raptors will need to make decisions on are Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet. Both are expected to test free agency this offseason.

And depending on the Raptors’ decisions on both of those players, we’re going to get an indication of where this franchise is moving next. Will they try to reload this summer, retool, or rebuild? Everything is on the table for the Raptors who have the flexibility to be quite active this offseason, whether that’s via the trade market or when free agency opens.

As we inch closer and closer to the start of free agency, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what we can possibly expect from the Raptors. According to a recent report, there’s a growing belief around the league that the Raptors won’t re-sign one of their big-name in-house free agents, Gary Trent Jr.

Does this mean the Toronto Raptors will re-sign Fred VanVleet?

This information could give us a sneak peek of what we could expect from the Raptors heading into the offseason. If the Raptors don’t re-sign Trent, you’d have to imagine that there’s a good chance that they do end up re-signing VanVleet.

But if that doesn’t happen, there’s where this offseason gets particularly interesting. Because if the Raptors are re-signing VanVleet or Trent, that could mean they are ready for a significant retooling or a full-blow rebuild.

And if that happens this offseason, it could open the door for a chaotic summer around the league.

The Raptors have many players that teams around the league will be keeping a close eye on. In addition to VanVleet and Trent, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are two players that teams around the league could target via trade.

While there’s no clear indication that the Raptors would entertain trading either one of them, it’s certainly an interesting thought to keep in mind if they do end up moving on from VanVleet and/or Trent.

This offseason could end up being particularly busy and there’s a good chance that the Raptors end up playing a big part in that.