Gary Trent Jr. on Bargain Contract Would Be Steal for LeBron, Lakers amid NBA Rumors

Zach Buckley@@ZachBuckleyNBAFeatured Columnist IVJuly 10, 2024

Megan Briggs/Getty Images

It’s been a quiet, but fortunate NBA offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the needle-moving transaction arguably needed to get this club to a championship level hasn’t taken place, they’ve scored a bunch of small but potentially significant victories along the way.

Like being able to pivot away from their Dan Hurley pursuit and into a head coaching hire of JJ Redick, who felt like the favorite for much of the search. Or standing pat at picks Nos. 17 and 55 and still leaving the talent grab with Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Or not only getting a commitment from LeBron James, but also getting help from the King by way of a slight but significant paycut.

And based on the latest free agency buzz, it sounds like the basketball gods could be ready to shine favor on this franchise once again.

Gary Trent Jr., a 25-year-old swingman with a career 38.6 three-point percentage, waded into free agency waters looking like he’d be out of reach for the Lakers. Players with his combination of age, ability and upside typically command more than the club could afford. Even he thought he might command a salary “in the $25 million range,” per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.

Money has since dried up around the Association, though, to the point it’s hard to say where Trent will find his deal or for how much.

The Raptors, who initially had interest in something “around $15 million” in salary, per Lewenberg, have reportedly pulled their offer and “are prepared to move on.” Looking around the league, there aren’t a lot of logical landing spots for Trent, despite the strong on-paper credentials he has to offer.

If Lakers fans listen closely, they can probably hear opportunity’s knock.

Trent would be a tremendous fit, provided he could fit in the budget, of course. There are reasons to believe he might. One league insider told Lewenberg that Trent would be “lucky” to find the non-taxpayer midlevel exception ($12.5 million salary). Lewenberg added Trent could possibly “only earn half of that” if he landed in L.A.

Trent, to be clear, isn’t some magical fix for this franchise. He is a really good outside shooter who struggles with consistency in other areas.

He is solid, though, and has packed a decent scoring punch when given the opportunity (17.9 points per game over the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, when he was mostly a regular starter). And, again, his age makes it easy to assume his game hasn’t reached its final form yet.

That part of the sales pitch is secondary to the good stuff for this group, though. The Lakers have had a shooting shortage for years, and Trent could provide a massive lift in that area.

This past season, L.A. averaged just 11.8 three-point makes on 31.4 attempts. The champion Boston Celtics, for reference, averaged 16.5 on 42.5. Even stars who shine as bright as LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have trouble overcoming numbers like that.

If Redick is able to implement a more perimeter-oriented offense, they won’t have to.

“I’m going to use math,” Redick told reporters at his introductory press conference.

Adding Trent would go a long way toward making the math work. He should be a no-brainer target if market conditions mean the math would wind up working on a bargain contract with the Lakers.