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3 reasons Raptors should trade Fred VanVleet, keep Gary Trent Jr.

By Mike Luciano

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 07: Gary Trent Jr. #33 and Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 07: Gary Trent Jr. #33 and Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors, Fred VanVleet
Jan 22, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) shoots the ball as New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) defends Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Efficiency

While VanVleet has really turned it on of late, he is in danger of shooting under 40% from the field for the second time in the last three seasons. With a fairly high usage rate for a point guard of his stature, Toronto’s offense devolved into VanVleet chucking 3-pointers from two counties away far too often.

Trent, meanwhile, is shooting just under 45% from the field, making more than 50% of his shots inside the arc for the first time in his career. Trent is making just under 38% of his 3-pointers as a Raptor, giving the team one true sniper from deep in a league that values shooting more than ever.

The Toronto Raptors need Gary Trent Jr. to shoot.

The package that Toronto could get for VanVleet could help the Raptors nab a collection of guards that can stroke it from deep. Surrounding your heliocentric star with an armada of shooters has been a strategy that has worked well of late in both the regular and postseason.

Efficiency is not going to increase as VanVleet starts to get a little long in the tooth, meaning that there is a very high likelihood that Toronto has already milked the best individual seasons out of No. 23. Trent, meanwhile, has his best scoring and shooting seasons in the windshield.