NBA
NBA Insiders Say The Lakers Have Their Eye On Gary Trent Jr. As A Possible Trade Target
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated30 Jan 2023
The 2022-23 NBA trade deadline has been relatively quiet so far and teams are staying put as of now. Only the LA Lakers have made a move in acquiring PF Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. NBA insiders have reported that the Lakers might not be done yet and they have a guard in their sights. Gary Trent Jr. is the player that LA has on their radar ahead of the trade deadline approaching on 2/9.
With rumblings of head coach Nick Burse losing the locker room in Toronto, almost all their players are potentially up for grabs. That includes SG Gary Trent Jr. who’s in his third season with the team. The Lakers are in need of a guard who can knock down three’s and play tough defense.
Those happen to be Trent Jr.’s strengths and he could fit in well with the Lakers if they used him the right way. California Sports Betting sites have the Lakers at (+2000) to win the Finals this season.
Gary Trent Jr. 😳🔨 pic.twitter.com/ak69NQYCdm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 22, 2023
With Gary Trent Jr. in their sights, the Lakers might not be finished on the trade market
In 44 games played and 34 starts this season, Trent Jr. is averaging career-high (18.6) points and field-goal percentage, along with (2.5) rebounds, and (1.7) steals per game. He’s the third-highest scorer per game on the Raptors behind Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.
If Trent Jr. were to come to the Lakers, they’d have to make some adjustments to their starting lineup. His defense and length are too valuable to not have on the court to start the game and in the biggest moments. Someone like Dennis Schroder could see himself come off the bench if a trade did happen.
NBA insiders Jake Fischer said that it’s unclear whether “they’ve called Toronto and have had actual conversations about it”, in regards to the Lakers’ interest in Trent Jr. Another factor adding into this is the fact that he will become a free-agent at the end of this season unless he were to pick up a $18.6 million player option. Big decisions are still left to be made if the Lakers were serious about this trade, but they do still have some time to figure it all out.
