Kings Free Agent Target: Gary Trent Jr

May 9, 2024, 1:41 PM | Updated: 1:43 pm

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 20: Gary Trent Jr. #33 of the Toronto Raptors shoots against Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings during the first half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on March 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sactown Sports writer

As the NBA offseason approaches, the Sacramento Kings are at somewhat of a crossroads heading into free agency and trade season.

What can Kings general manager Monte McNair do to push this team to the next level?

This week on Stiles & Watkins with hosts Allen Stiles and Chris Watkins, the guys broke down players that could be on Sacramento’s offseason free agent wishlist.

Today, let’s dive into the next player on Chris’ free agent targets: Gary Trent Jr.

Gary Trent Jr | Toronto Raptors | SG/SF | Age: 25 | 2023-24 Salary: $18.6 million

The Sacramento Kings have options this offseason for improving their roster. General manager Monte McNair often refers to the three avenues to do so: the draft, trades, and free agency. For now, we’ll be focused on the latter portion. Working with the full non-taxpayers Mid-Level Exception (projected at 4yrs/$55.3 million) and Bi-Annual Exception (projected at 2yrs/$9.6 million) — leaving some notable optionality.

Their list of pending free agents from last season includes Malik Monk, Kessler Edwards, JaVale McGee, Alex Len, Jordan Ford, and Jalen Slawson. With the unpredictability behind Monk, the Kings must look at a wide variety of potential talents in free agency. Even though guards do not seem like a position of need right now, things could change quickly based on what the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up elects to do.

Specifically, a versatile guard who can function both on and off the ball offensively and provides some disruptive defense with good length could be valuable. 6’5 wing Gary Trent Jr. fits the description and is one of the few (potential) free-agent options that could reasonably get near Monk’s previous production level.

As an unrestricted free agent, Toronto could prefer to retain the Duke alum, but what they decide to do with both he and Bruce Brown (who has a $23 million team option in 2023-24) drastically affects their spending power in the open market. If they preferred to do so, they could finesse their way into the Monk conversation themselves even.

Last season, Trent Jr. (25) played in 71 games for the Raptors, averaging 13.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals on 42.6 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three on 6.4 attempts per game, and 77.1 percent from the free throw line.

An intriguing two-way ability combined with spark plug offense and efficient spacing, the 37th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (ironically, by Sacramento, before being traded) could benefit many teams around the association. He had 12 occasions of 20+ points, including four games with 30 or more in 2023-24.

From Sacramento’s perspective, it likely would take the full MLE to acquire Trent Jr., and his versatility could bolster their depth moving forward. Toronto could even elect to keep him around and pay more than the Kings could offer; the same goes for other cap space teams this offseason.

But, they must decide if he could be someone they should utilize that asset on, or is the opportunity cost of other options too steep? How would the thought process change if Monk were to leave? As we continue this series on Sactown Sports, more current free-agent names will be discussed for the Kings.

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?

For the first time in two years, the Sacramento Kings will be crossing its fingers for luck during the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery will be held on Sunday, May 12, 2024, in Chicago, where Sacramento will have the 13th-best odds of securing the top pick.

How the Lottery works: The 14 teams that missed out on the NBA playoffs are eligible for the Draft Lottery. The final odds were determined after the regular season, and tie breaks were settled between teams with identical regular season records.

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