Michael Scotto: Toronto is the team that I think holds a lot of the cards for the trade deadline and is the biggest wild card going into the deadline… I wrote this closer to the G League Showcase, but it still stands true now according to NBA executives I’ve spoken to around the league, they think Gary Trent Jr. still remains the top trade candidate on the Raptors. Trent just turned 24 years old, and in Toronto, he’s been consistent, averaging 18 or 19 points the past two seasons. He has an $18.8 million player option for next season. Given his age and the market, most executives I talk to think he can get around that, if not a little bit more, if he decided to opt out. They’re operating as if they think he will. He’s one of the top free agents projected to be available on our HoopsHype rankings. – via Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype
Blake Murphy: If Trent is looking at the Jordan Poole deal and the Tyler Herro deal, and he thinks the Anfernee Simons deal is on the low end for him, that gets a little tough. Then, you’re talking about a Raptors team that’s below .500 right now and would be locking into probably being a tax team pretty quickly. That’s why the situation is a little complicated. I personally tend to think he’s still the likeliest to be dealt from the core here because he’s due a big raise. – via Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype
