Gary Trent Jr. – Toronto Raptors
During his time at Duke, Gary Trent Jr. was known for being a high-level perimeter threat, but he was oftentimes overshadowed by the likes of Grayson Allen, Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. As a result, he fell to the second-round in the 2018 NBA Draft and was selected 37th overall by the Kings.
Trent Jr. was soon traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and there, he worked his way into the rotation as a key bench player, before jumping onto the scene last season. Before the NBA shutdown, Gary Trent Jr. did not play much and was nothing more than a role player, but in the NBA Bubble, he emerged as a key player in Portland’s system, which is why he entered the year with big expectations.
Early on, the young shooting guard was everything the Blazers had hoped he would be and then some, as he quickly emerged as one of the better two-way wings in the league this season. At the trade deadline though, Portland decided to trade him to the Toronto Raptors for Norman Powell.
Now, Gary Trent Jr. is set to become a restricted free agent, giving the Toronto Raptors a chance to match any offer sheet he may sign in free agency, but the young guard is expected to maximize his value this offseason. At 22-years-old and being the two-way threat that he is, Trent Jr. will likely earn himself way over $10M per season and has a chance to grow into a stud in this league.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: This Blazers-Sixers offseason trade is focused on CJ McCollum
He has all the potential in the world given the way he defends and his ability to knock down three-point shots in volume. Since joining the Raptors in March, Gary Trent Jr. has only improved and has averaged about 17.8 points per game with his new team, shooting about 38.9% from three-point range on about 7.5 three-point attempts per game.
Given how young he is and how skilled he is as an all-around player, Gary Trent Jr. definitely has what it takes to bea young star in this league and given the type of impact he can make on any team in this league, expect Trent Jr. to get a massive long-term deal this summer. He will immediately make an impact on any team he joins and is the most underrated defender and pending free agent in the NBA.
