3 Toronto Raptors who definitely won't be back next season
The Toronto Raptors will have some very hard decisions to make in the offseason and these three key players are likely on their way out.
The Toronto Raptors entered this season with a very questionable direction. They were in a spot where they had the talent to make the playoffs but not make a deep playoff run. After the Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby trade, it was clear they were going to rebuild.
The trade gave the young Raptors a lot of promise. Scottie Barnes has taken a leap this season, becoming a first-time All-Star. RJ Barrett has looked much more confident in his role with the Raptors than with the Knicks and Immanuel Quickley has shown he's a good starting point guard.
The Raptors will have to extend Barnes and Quickley in the offseason as their rookie contracts expire. Since both will receive a contract worth well over $100 million over the next few years, there are a lot of decisions that the Raptors must make to keep their cap sheet clean. That likely means these three players are getting squeezed out.
3. Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. is one of the most intriguing players the Raptors will have to deal with coming into the offseason. The Raptors traded for him in the 2020-21 season in exchanged for Norman Powell. Trent has had a good three and a half years, averaging 16.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals on .421/.382/.831 shooting splits.
Going into this season, Trent was coming off one of his best seasons in the NBA, but his role was diminished by a large margin. This season he has played in 65 games and averaged 28 minutes per game while averaging 32 minutes last year and 35 minutes the year before.
Trent's contract this season was a player option for $18.5 million. For someone that was mainly coming off the bench until everyone got hurt, that is a lot of money. Unless Trent wants to take less money for a lesser role, it is not likely he'll return next season.
Trent is a great shooter and a solid defender. He is a prototypical NBA role player and one that every single team will want. With the Raptors having to pay a lot of their core pieces, Trent will be looking elsewhere for one of two reasons. The first is money, the Raptors won't be able to pay him what he wants, and the second is to contribute to a championship team.
Almost every team could use a 3-and-D wing like him on their roster. Going into this offseason, expect Trent to sign a contract where he will get a much bigger role than what he has or a team that believes he can be a huge part in winning a championship.