Raptors' Gary Trent Jr. named in possible three-team trade: report

Ahead of the February 9 NBA deadline, Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. is in the middle of another set of trade rumours.

LJ Ellis of SpursTalk.com reported on Monday that the Raptors could be in the mix for San Antonio Spurs Jakob Poeltl, who they originally drafted ninth overall in 2017. In such a trade, Trent Jr. could be headed to any number of destinations, with Poeltl heading to Toronto in return.

“While Toronto is said to have multiple trade offers on the table for Poeltl, a league source told me that the offer that has gained the most traction so far is a three-team trade that also involves Gary Trent Jr.,” Ellis wrote.

It’s not clear who the third team is at this time.

Ellis added that Boston, New Orleans, and Portland are all interested in Poeltl, with the Spurs “requesting two first-round draft picks in any trade involving Poeltl.”

Should Toronto offer Trent Jr. in such a trade, it’s likely the two first-round picks would come to San Antonio from another team with the third team receiving Trent.

Poeltl has averaged 12.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 37 games this season, while Trent Jr. has averaged 18.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 41 games this season.

Poeltl is in the final season of a three-year, $26.3 million contract, with the possibility of hitting unrestricted free agency this summer. Should the Raptors trade for him, they either have intentions of signing him long-term or are trying to make a playoff push and assume both he and Trent aren’t willing to stick around past this year.

The Raptors signed Trent to a three-year, $51 million extension in the summer of 2021, expiring after next season. But there’s a catch: Trent has a player option for next season, allowing him to hit free agency (or re-sign with Toronto) this summer if he so chooses.

It’s the second time in a week that Poeltl’s name has been connected to the Raptors.

“Former Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, who left the franchise with DeMar DeRozan as part of a 2018 offseason blockbuster to land Kawhi Leonard, remains a target of Toronto’s front office, as Yahoo Sports reported in December,” Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer wrote in an article last week.

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