The Toronto Raptors could never get fully on track in 2022-23, going 41-41 before losing to the Bulls in the first round of the East Play-In, and after another disappointing season, there was some consideration Toronto might look to rebuild.
With a new head coach in Darko Rajakovic coming in from Memphis, there were signals they might be looking to get younger, but as the offseason has worn on and trade rumors have circulated, there has been a sense that Toronto is still not keen on making wholesale changes. The first concrete indication of that arrived on Tuesday, when Gary Trent Jr. picked up his $18.5 million player option with the Raptors, with Chris Haynes reporting the plan is to work out an extension in Toronto.
Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. will opt into his $18.5 million player option for the 2023-24 season, CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports tells @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 20, 2023
This seems partially to be an indication that Trent, who averaged 17.4 points per game on 43.3/36.9/83.9 shooting splits last year, didn’t see much of a market out there for himself to make considerably more on his next deal, but also the reporting from Haynes that the two sides plan to work on a long-term deal points to the Raptors looking to make tweaks to their roster rather than major changes. This isn’t a shock when you consider the Raptors history of deals and their very clear trepidation to ever potentially lose a deal, which is why OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam hold some of the highest asking prices of any players in the league right now by all accounts.
How this will work out for the Raptors remains to be seen, but for teams hoping Toronto becomes sellers, this is the first real sign that won’t be happening.
