Gary Trent Jr. SHOCKED the NBA yesterday with his decision to opt into his player option for the 2023-2024 season and remain with the Raptors, Not only will the shooting guard remain with the team for the upcoming season but reports indicate that the player is looking to sign a long term extension to stay in Toronto.
All season, fans were prepared for Trent to opt out in search of a bigger and longer contract elsewhere but it feels as though the player is right at home and wants to continue to grow under new head coach Dark Rajakovic.
Not all is good however as the Raptors remain in an extremely difficult spot with the salary cap and still have to try and retain other free agents in Jakob Poeltl and Fred VanVleet, if they don’t want to see them walk for nothing.
Trent’s contract has completely changed Masai Ujiri’s strategy for the offseason, but what will likely be their chosen direction? Jacob Gramegna breaks it all down today on Amateur Hour Sports.
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0:00 – Overview
0:45 – Gary Trent Jr. Opts In
2:02 – GTJ’s Future Plans
3:36 – Is this good or bad news?
4:37 – Salary Concerns
5:40 – Fred VanVleet’s Future
6:30 – Jakob Poeltl’s Future
8:20 – Change is on the way
This is Amateur Hour Sports. On this channel, Jacob Gramegna analyzes and breaks down the latest on the Toronto Raptors NBA team from trade rumors to post-game reactions, analysis, and much more. By subscribing to this channel you will be there first to watch and enjoy 3-4 videos a week all focused on this team and on game days Jacob goes live on the channel for a watch party where he interacts with chat, answers your questions, and analyses the game as it happens with play by play and commentary. Join the Amateur Hour Army today by subscribing and consider becoming a member to give extra support to the channel and help create better content more often.
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44 Comments
One of GTJ's pros is intelligence, underrated strength in the NBA
If they don’t sign back Jakob that’s a BIG L, gave up all that for nothing would be crazy
That shows me he likes Toronto
Or maybe my good friend, Poeltl doesn’t view the raptors as a rebuilding team at all? Hmm… 🤔
Yak is trying to strong arm us to keep Siakam. If true, let yak leave. Loyalty should be to the franchise, not any one player.
Use Fred Vanvleets salary to get shooters and draft properly and we good
Let Fred walk.
I didn’t think he was gonna leave especially not hearing much him leaving keep Gary Trent Jr Fred gotta go
I didn’t think he was gonna leave especially not hearing much him leaving keep Gary Trent Jr Fred gotta go
Take care of yourself bud.
Keep Fred if we ain’t trading Siakam for 3rd pick
Seems like Gary may have disrupted a few plans. Glad he decided to stay.
We Need To Sign Jakob Too! Smart Move For Gary Trent Jr.
Everyone was thinking OMG! how are we going to sign everyone, we don't have the money. Then all of a sudden Gary says hold my bearr and watch this. He says he wants to be in T.O.
I still don't understand why are we stuck in this we-cant-bring-back-everyone mode. NBA just gave us a break with a 3MM bump in lux cap. and even if FVV and Jak salary is combined 50MM, does not mean we have to pay them that in the first year. 200MM salary can start with 45MM in the first year. That will take the salaries to about 156MM meaning we still have about 9MM to absorb salaries for Thad, Banton, Dowtin pls the 13th pick. Only problem is siggning additional player with mid-level. we still have 13-14 player roster plus the 3 905 dudes. It's not all doom and gloom for the Raps. The only thing that matters now is if our FAs wanan come back at all.
Jak's comments indicate he wanna come back as the front office is clear that they much rather stay intact and not rebuild or even retool. ORL is hesitant to pay Fred the bag so they might be out of the race. Even if loose them both so what. We can pay OG/Siakam now and stick with the long boys core. Put in the development effort into Precious/Koloko and focus on Banton/Dowtin and the 13th pick. Gives us more room to sign another mid-level guy andmaybe get another undrafted player or even Harper Jr./Wieskamp. If Darko can't turn it around this year then make wholesale changes.
As a Raptor Fan we only have 3 consistent YouTube options. "AH" is the only channel that doesn't piss me off or put me to sleep.🙌
If we can get jakob back the future of the raptors looks amazing
Should The Raptors trade Pascal and pursue Kuzma?
What a coincidence, 1 year ago I tore my ACL and Meniscus falling downstairs beacuse I forgot the draft was about to start and I didn't want to miss the first pick and was running down them after a bad sprain the week before, just had surgery a few months ago and working towards getting back to sports.
This is great news for Raptors fans all around. They get a good young player in a contract year that they can either trade or resign, and for cheap with his option. Probably. This guy is capable of being an efficient 20ppg guy. If he gives the raps that for less than 20 mil? And at a trade deadline you can get alot for a guy like this if he's having a good year….I mean,….if Masai actually, you know, makes a trade🙄 I like it.
Hey dude, im pretty sure you are disappointed
That's for gary to decide but there's a chance for him to stay
I tore my ACL in January I feel your pain
Toronto can stand pat on being stubborn until the trade deadline where the big decision gotta be made for Siakam
GTJ didn't bolt for Cali when the season ended. He was often spotted around Toronto and that should have been a clue that he was staying. There is also his father who is a clear headed thinker to give fatherly advise.
Am I the only one indifferent on fvv staying or going and kinda happy the the gtj/ Scotty Barnes friendship can continue to blossom.
I was under the impression when a team resigns their own free agent over the cap, the team would not be taxed. Please clarify…….,
Now that the celtics traded for porzingis, I hope Massai finally understood that it's not with the current roster that we will beat 76rs, Bucks, Celtics and to face a Nuggets or a Sun in Finals, come on, let's do this trade 🥱
All the best to you, hope your knee injury isn’t an ACL tear. If it is, then I wish you a speedy recovery. I know the pain brother, I’ve been through it myself , stay strong💪🏻 !
@jakob gramegna i hear if you get yogurt enemas and smear lard over your leg the acl will heal by itself in 3 days miraculously.
The Poetl trade would be a disaster if he doesn’t resign with us! This would be a huge miscalculation by Masai! I think it’s time to do a rebuild/retool and trade Siakam for the # 3.
Get well soon!……I don't know what's going on down on Bay Street but even if they extend Gary they can still retool later
Assume – make an ASS of U & ME
My draft pick prediction for #13 will be either Wallace or JHS.
If we somehow get #3 & Scoot, I reckon #13 will be Coulibaly
Fred needs to go. Raptors can't have this selfish 39% FG undersized guard back again.
Who does darko want at the draft 🤔 thoughts??
With Celtics adding Porzingis, the top 3 teams in the East are loaded. Raptors would be best to pivot from Siakam ( like Demar cannot lead this team to a championship ) and line the team up for another run in 2-3 years. Go all in on Scoot, clean up the bottom 5 or 6 players on the roster and let Darko get to work on his team.
I'm not too upset about Fred not ending up on the roster, but the Raptor's would be idiots to let Poeltl walk at any price. Look how the Raptors not only struggled but got beat badly without a legitimate center by teams that had a legit center. Without rim protection and some easy offensive buckets by a center would be a huge step backwards in trying to compete.
Okay with Fred leaving
Even though we got GTJ back, Masai needs to make moves, he hasn’t made moves since 2019, why is that 😔
To be honest the market doesn't really have tons of teams pursuing Poetl. Who else could get him? OKC, Hornets, mavs? Raps could offer him the most and it makes the most sense for him.
Speedy recovery on your ACL mate. Speaking from experience this is a sucky one
Surely we haven’t just thrown a first round pick in the bin for Peotl to leave for nothing. I’m not sure the head office expected this from Trent
Letting Jacob go would put the Raptors back. Without a center is bad. What was the point of trading for Jacob if you cant retain him? We will not go far into the playoff without a center
What was the point of trading for Jacob ?