2: Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. has been popping up in more trade rumors as of late. According to Marc Stein (subscription required), Trent is “undeniably” available ahead of the deadline. The 23-year-old (soon to be 24) guard is making $17.3 million this season and has a $18.6 million player option in 2023-24. While the path that the Raptors will take leading up to Feb. 9 is still unknown, Trent appears to be the most likeliest Toronto player to be dealt.
Trent is averaging a career-high 18.5 points and is shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from deep. One of the Raptors’ main flaws is their lack of shooting, so it wouldn’t be in their best interest to part ways with Trent. However, there’s also the risk that he could walk in the offseason and leave Toronto with nothing.
With the Knicks needing to trade Evan Fournier, Trent should be a player that New York’s front office inquires about if that hasn’t been done already. There’s no doubt that Trent would be a big upgrade over Fournier and he fits New York’s younger timeline. Trent spent one season at Duke in 2017-18 before declaring for the draft, so he left right before RJ Barrett’s single season as a Blue Devil.
Out of the three players on this list, odds are that Gary Trent Jr. has the highest percentage to be traded between now and the deadline.