In the Raptors' most recent game on February 22, they went up against the Milwaukee Bucks and came away with a 122-94 win.
As I watched this affair unfold, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for the declining turnout that’s marked the journey of former Raptors shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. He got just over six minutes of playing time against his former squad in the fourth quarter of play, during which he went 0-for-3 from the field and left no impact for Milwaukee. If you look at Trent Jr.'s recent sample since the trade deadline and the All-Star break, it's pretty clear he's falling out of favor as a rotation piece at a rapid rate.
Gary Trent Jr. is inching eerily close to NBA irrelevance
Two DNPs on February 9 and 11, and just about 12 minutes of total action in his last three games for the Milwaukee Bucks. This is a guy who once started for the Bucks and even became the surprise darling of last year's playoff run. Now, he's been rendered to a garbage-time player and is dangerously close to losing his relevance in the NBA.
Now, let’s take a look in hindsight at the other half of the Raptors' wild, once-upon-a-time deadline trade — Norman Powell.
Powell, at 32 years old no less, is having the best season of his NBA journey. This is especially impressive considering I was already convinced he was on that path last year during his strong campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers. This past summer, the Clippers surprisingly decided to move on from Powell, trading him to the Miami Heat. Since then, he's only continued his late rise to even greater heights.
Norman Powell has experienced a late-career peak in the NBA
Powell is averaging nearly 23 points on 47.6 percent shooting, including a solid 39.2 percent from three, along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals. He has emerged as the Heat’s best player this year and his impressive play earned him a well-deserved All-Star selection. I'm sure Powell had his devoted fans all throughout his career, but I’d reckon very few imagined this kind of trajectory for the once Toronto Raptors swingman. Perhaps Powell would carve out a lengthy career after the Raptors as a serviceable role player with explosive scoring ability, but little did we know that his star was destined to shine as a late bloomer.
When the original trade went down, the Raptors received a 22-year-old Gary Trent Jr. in exchange for a 27-year-old Norman Powell. Fast forward to now, and the 27-year-old GTJ, once seen as a promising star, has fallen into a cycle of inconsistency and an uncertain future. Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Powell, has been thriving in nearly every role he's taken on since leaving Toronto. It’s hard not to feel the sting in hindsight, because a player of Powell's caliber is exactly what Toronto could have used down the line.
It just goes to show that trades can totally flip the script and turn out very differently from what fans and front offices may have expected.