Gary Trent Jr. – Syndication Server

Ranking the top 5 Thunder targets ahead of trade deadline

Ranking the top 5 Thunder targets ahead of trade deadline.

The NBA trade deadline is a little over a day away, which means the Oklahoma City Thunder could soon welcome new additions to their roster.

The Thunder (35-16) are in the thick of the race for the first seed as the All-Star break approaches. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played like an MVP candidate; Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams help carve out an impressive trio.

This means this will be the first deadline OKC will be viewed as buyers in quite some time as it prepares for its first playoffs since 2020.

Odds are, the Thunder won’t make any drastic moves to the roster by Feb. 8. If OKC makes a deal, it’ll likely be to strengthen its depth and help fix some of its rebounding woes.

Entering the deadline, the Thunder are wealthy in trade capital — they have several young prospects they could trade along with an unending supply of draft picks.

If the Thunder wanted to, they could outbid anybody in the league for someone’s services.

Thunder Wire is ranking the top five trade targets for the Thunder as the trade deadline approaches:

Lakers have six new trade targets, including Bruce Brown

The rumor mill is heating up when it comes to the Lakers and what they may look to do on the trade market.

With less than three weeks to go before the NBA’s trade deadline, the rumor mill is starting to heat up, especially for the Los Angeles Lakers.

There has been plenty of talk that they have been looking to acquire Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Reportedly, the two teams have talked about a potential deal, but the sticking point has been Atlanta’s desire to acquire Austin Reaves and the Lakers’ reluctance to give him up.

Los Angeles has also been rumored to have some interest in Tyus Jones and Collin Sexton, and indeed, it does want a speedy ball-handling guard who can score. But now, according to Jovan Buha, it has six additional targets (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via The Athletic:

“If the Toronto Raptors decide to move on from Bruce Brown Jr., the Lakers will have interest in acquiring him, according to team sources,” Jovan Buha wrote. “The Lakers coveted Brown last summer and believed they were the favorites to sign him using the team’s nontaxpayer midlevel exception before Indiana swooped in with a cap-space offer. (Los Angeles eventually signed (Gabe) Vincent with that exception.) Much like he was last summer, Brown will become one of the most coveted players on the trade market if he’s available. Of note: Because Brown was already traded from Indiana to Toronto in the (Pascal) Siakam deal, he cannot be combined with another player in a potential trade.

“Other names that have come up in talks with team and league personnel over the past two weeks include Portland’s Jerami Grant, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. and Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale. Each player fills at least one of the Lakers’ three needs.”

While a speedy ball-handling guard appears to be the Lakers’ biggest priority on the trade market, a 3-and-D wing is another. Although Brown isn’t a great 3-point shooter, his defense and ability to score make him an attractive trade piece.

Grant would be an interesting get for the Lakers. He’s averaging 21.4 points a game and shooting 41.2% from 3-point range this season, but he isn’t a particularly good rebounder, and he does have a somewhat large contract that runs for at least three more seasons.

Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. labeled potential Bulls trade target

As the Chicago Bulls prepare for the trade deadline, they need to take inventory not only of what they have on the roster but also of the potential players they could look to acquire in a deal. With how well they’ve been playing, they could look to push for the playoffs, but at the same time, they don’t seem to have enough assets to compete with the top teams in the East.

Earlier this season, the Bulls were focused on trading Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan is in the final year of his contract, making him a potential trade chip, too. Even if they look to trade one or both of those guys, they could still try to remain semi-competitive.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested that the Bulls look to make a deal for Toronto Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr.

“The Bulls have shown enough fight for the last month that they don’t need to be solely focused on finding draft picks,” Buckley wrote. “If they pick up a player, though, it should be someone they think has a chance to grow with them.

“Gary Trent Jr. could do just that.

“The 24-year-old would give a jolt to this perimeter attack (career 38.3 percent from distance), not to mention replace some of the offensive lost in a potential LaVine trade. Trent’s scoring output has sagged a bit this season, but he pumped in better than 15 points per night each of the past three seasons.

“His contract is expiring, so Chicago would need to decide pretty quickly whether he’s a keeper or not. If he helped steer this club into the postseason, though, that debate could be an easy one.”

Adding Trent Jr. to the mix next to Coby White, Patrick Williams, and others could be a nice get for the Bulls.

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4 trade targets Thunder should look into ahead of NBA trade deadline

4 trade targets the Thunder should look into ahead of trade deadline.

As the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline creeps closer, expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to be potential buyers for the first time in years.

After spending the last three seasons rebuilding, OKC has busted open a contention window this year with a 23-11 record led by the young trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

Even though the Thunder will make the playoffs for the first time since 2020, don’t expect any seismic in-season trades by according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The NBA insider detailed that OKC will likely ride it out with this group but could look to make improvements on the margin.

To prepare for the trade deadline, let’s look at four Thunder targets who’d make sense as short-term commitments that could improve their depth without giving up serious trade capital.

Could Gary Trent Jr. be a target for the Lakers this offseason?

The Lakers could use a 3-and-D wing, and perhaps Gary Trent Jr. would fit the bill.

Ever since the midseason trades that salvaged their year, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a very good team. But very good simply wasn’t good enough: They were swept in the Western Conference finals by the Denver Nuggets.

Very good also isn’t good enough for a franchise that has won 17 NBA championships and measures success by whether it wins it all at the end of a season.

Aside from a home-run move such as acquiring Kyrie Irving, perhaps their biggest need is a 3-and-D wing who can contain star guards, such as Denver’s Jamal Murray, while consistently hitting from the outside on the other end.

The Toronto Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr. seems to fit that description, and Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale suggested he could be an ambitious target for L.A. this summer.

Via Bleacher Report:

“There are levels to how aggressive the Los Angeles Lakers can get in free agency. … Targeting a higher-end shooter who can disrupt on defense, even if he over-gambles, via sign-and-trade is aggressive enough. The Lakers should have the wiggle room to fit Hachimura, Reaves and Gary Trent Jr. under the hard cap.”

Could Trent be the final piece for the Purple and Gold?

Lakers targeting several players ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline

After missing out on Kyrie Irving, the Lakers are doing their due diligence on a potential trade as the NBA’s deadline approaches.

Now that trading for Kyrie Irving is off the table after all these months, the Los Angeles Lakers can finally move forward with the monumental task of upgrading a somewhat talented but porous roster with less than 72 hours before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

They badly need accurate 3-point shooting, and given their recent struggles on the defensive end, they could use some help in that department as well.

If they do make a deal, what type of deal will it be? Will they go for a true big man, a big wing, a small wing or a ball-handling guard?

The Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike reported the team has several specific players it could be looking to acquire.

Via Los Angeles Times:

“Toronto guards Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., Atlanta guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Detroit forward Bojan Bogdanovic (who the Pistons repeatedly have said isn’t available unless they’re blown away by an offer), Charlotte guard Terry Rozier and Utah guard Mike Conley all are viewed as possible trade targets depending on how the market shakes out between now and Thursday.”

None of these players would be ideal additions, although a few could significantly move the needle for L.A.

Both men named Bogdanovic would represent an upgrade in 3-point shooting, even if they wouldn’t add much of anything on the defensive end. Bojan Bogdanovic, in particular, would be a massive improvement in the outside shooting department while giving the team a legitimate third scoring option.

Rozier and VanVleet have been potent guards for the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors, respectively, but their shooting percentages are way down this season, which means they could actually hurt the Lakers in terms of 3-point accuracy.

Conley, who is 35 years of age, appears to be in decline, and his 3-point shooting accuracy has decreased this season.

Trent could be a very nice acquisition for the Lakers, however, as he has a reputation for being a legit 3-and-D player. At 6-foot-5 and 209 pounds, he can play the 3 at times, and he is shooting a respectable 37.3% from downtown on 7.1 attempts a game this year.

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Raptors: The case for running it back… or blowing things up

The Raptors continue to have a mediocre season. They are 20-24 and currently tied for the last play-in spot in the East. There is still some hope they can turn it around since they’re 15th in net rating for the year, suggesting that they’ve been underperforming to some degree. After winning 48 games last season with mostly the same team, they should be better than this but they may not get back to that same level.

Even if the Raptors manage to turn things around it appears that this iteration of the core is not a championship contender as is. Since 2019, they’ve won one playoff series and have slowly seen several core players from that group leave. They could be at a crossroads with their starters since they are all due for raises as soon as this offseason or the next. Some tough decisions could be coming soon in Toronto.

Here is a look at the Raptors’ long-term cap outlook if they continue to run this group and what a retool or rebuild could look like.

Lakers may be interested in Gary Trent Jr.

The Lakers are among a few teams that reportedly have interest in Raptors swingman Gary Trent Jr.

The Los Angeles Lakers have rebounded nicely after a 2-10 start, but a couple of tough losses lately have highlighted areas they need to improve on.

They need help at the wing and forward spots, as well as improved 3-point shooting.

In recent days, they have been linked to a number of players who could help with those needs, and now there is a new one: Gary Trent Jr.

Via Lakers Daily:

“Gary Trent Jr. can fill some of those holes, and it seems that they are among the teams who could reportedly be interested in acquiring the Toronto Raptors shooting guard.

“‘Trent (almost 24) would fit with any team looking to add a wing scorer who can defend,’ wrote Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. ‘The (Phoenix) Suns, Lakers, (Golden State) Warriors, (Atlanta) Hawks and (Miami) Heat could be interested.'”

Trent, a 6-foot-5 swingman, has been known as someone who can score, hit from 3-point range and defend a little bit.

However, his 3-point shooting is down so far this season. A career 38.3% shooter from that distance, Trent is hitting just 33.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc this year.

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Bleacher Report mocks a pair of pre-training camp Thunder trades

Should the Thunder make either deal?

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley recently published an article that listed one trade idea for all 30 NBA teams before training camp kicks off next month.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they were involved in two trades. One brought in Gary Trent Jr. while another sent out Kenrich Williams.

The Thunder will be entering another rebuilding season with the youngest roster in the league. Without their top draft pick, it’s hard to see them compete for a playoff spot and it will likely be another season where all eyes will be on the lottery odds.

Let’s take a look at both trades and the justifications for them.

Could Lakers target Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. in a trade?

The Toronto Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr., a young and productive two-way wing, could be a trade target for the Lakers.

Positionally, the biggest need for the Los Angeles Lakers could be productive 3-and-D wings.

That is the name of the game in today’s NBA, as the league has gotten smaller and faster-paced over the past dozen years or so.

The Lakers appear to be willing to move at least one of their more productive players in order to acquire a wing who would move the needle.

Talen Horton-Tucker has been rumored to be trade bait, and he reportedly has real value around the league.

Guard Kendrick Nunn is another Laker who could be on the move should an opportunity present itself, and of course, Russell Westbrook would be the Lakers’ biggest asset on the trade market depending on how much interest there is in him.

According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, an Eastern Conference executive feels L.A. could go after the Toronto Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr. via trade.

Via Heavy.com:

“The pick is the key thing, if the Raptors think that pick is going to be valuable, and it might very well be, then it makes some sense,” the executive said. “Horton-Tucker and Nunn, you assume he is going to play again and be a pretty good bargain. The Raptors like Horton-Tucker, remember they wanted him in the Kyle Lowry deal that fell through with the Lakers. It is hard to say what kind of future Trent is going to have there, if they’ll pay him. So if they can get assets back now, it is something to explore.”