5 Toronto Raptors who won’t be back next season after playoff exit

2. Gary Trent Jr.

Trent seemed like a player Toronto would be foolish not to retain, as he is a young player with a deadly 3-point shot and priming defense. All of that optimism has wilted away and turned to unmitigated scorn after one of his worst showings in a Raptors jersey against Chicago.

Trent was turning the ball over and taking all sorts of ill-advised attempts. While Trent averaged 17.4 points per game, showing that he is still a quality scorer at this point in his career, the confluence of his poor finish and his projected contract could bring an end to his time in Toronto.

Will the Toronto Raptors keep Gary Trent Jr. in Canada?

There are reasons to keep Trent over some of Toronto’s prospective free agents, but paying him close to nine figures when he was bumped out of the starting lineup twice and generally underperformed this season would not be the savviest use of the team’s cap room.

While Trent gives a Raptors team without shooting the creativity they need, he might price himself out of a Raptors return. Toronto may have won the Norman Powell trade with Portland, but that won’t stop his career in Canada from coming to an abrupt end.