Gary Trent

Trent has quietly become one of the better three-and-D guards in the NBA. Playing for coach Nick Nurse, who loves a short rotation, Trent saw a career-high 35.0 minutes, resulting in his most productive season yet. He averaged 18.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and, notably, 3.0 threes and 1.7 steals. Managers in eight-category leagues who rostered Trent were rewarded with the 60th-best per-game fantasy production. Managers in nine-cat leagues also benefited from his extremely-low turnover rate (1.0 per game). When not shooting threes, Trent struggles to get to the rim and convert efficiently, often settling for long-mid-range jumpers, though he hit those at a passable 41 percent last year on 233 attempts. It's possible that part of his game grows since he's just 23 years old, but managers shouldn't hold their breath in hopes of Trent becoming a more active on-ball player and driver to the basket. The Duke product should see nearly the exact same role this season. The Raptors didn't add any guards over the summer, with the biggest addition being forward Otto Porter. As a result, Trent can be targeted in the mid-to-late rounds of most fantasy drafts, especially if you're short on threes.

After two and a half seasons in Portland, Trent was dealt at last year's trade deadline to the Raptors. With Toronto, Trent started 15 of 17 games and posted 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.6 made threes over 31.8 minutes per game. With Kyle Lowry moving on to Miami, the Raptors quickly decided Trent should be their new starting shooting guard and signed him to a three-year deal. Fred VanVleet will slide over from shooting guard to point guard. Trent is particularly appealing when you consider 2021-22 will be only his age-22 season. With only 47 career starts under Trent's belt, there is clearly room for growth. And with Pascal Siakam suffering from shoulder surgery and rumored to be on the trading block, there is a good chance that Trent will be forced to shoot more. Speaking of trades, one must wonder about the newly-acquired Goran Dragic's future. Dragic came to Toronto as part of the Lowry sign-and-trade deal. He has expressed an interest in playing elsewhere and his age (35) doesn't match well with Toronto's young core. Should Dragic stick around and stay healthy, he'll certainly eat into Trent's minutes. But if Dragic is dealt, Trent will be further entrenched in Toronto's core lineup. A bigger worry with Trent is that outside of points and three-pointers, he offers little production. This is especially true if he again shoots 40.8 percent from the field as he did last year versus the 44.4 percent he shot in 2019-20. In nine-category leagues, Trent's career average of only 0.5 turnovers per game is appealing. Trent has only averaged 23.9 minutes per game during his three-year career. He'll most likely play significantly more during his first full season with the Raptors.

Trent enjoyed a big spike in playing time during his sophomore NBA campaign, but that wasn't enough for him to make a fantasy impact. He averaged 8.9 points, driven largely by his impressive 41.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc (good for 1.8 threes per game), and he mixed in 0.8 steals per game, but that was pretty much the end of his statistical contributions. With the Blazers sporting a pair of stars at guard in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Trent's path to fantasy value is almost entirely dependent on how much time he can carve out at small forward, where the team is much thinner. There's some opportunity there, though the 6-foot-5, 209-pound Trent is a little undersized for a starting forward. In the best case that doesn't involve an injury to one of Portland's stars, Trent's minutes leap from last year's 21.8 into the mid-20s or higher and he clears double-digit points with upward of two threes and a steal per game, which would be enough to give him some fantasy value. The Blazers will have to make a decision on a contract extension for Trent ahead of this season, and their choice in that matter will speak volumes about his projected usage.

A second-round pick of the Kings this past June, Trent was subsequently traded to the Trail Blazers for a pair of second-round picks. The 19-year-old’s game is largely considered one-dimensional at present, as his stellar offensive skills are countered by a subpar defensive profile. The former Blue Devil shot an impressive 40.2 percent from three-point range during his one season at Duke, and he followed that up with an average of 11.4 points over seven games in Las Vegas this summer. Trent is largely seen as a long-term project given his age and one year of college experience, making him a likely G-League or end-of-bench candidate for the coming season. His above-average athleticism and shooting prowess does make him an intriguing keeper and dynasty league prospect, however.