Gary Trent Jr. Bids Farewell to Blazers Faithful

Yesterday’s trade deadline saw the Portland Trail Blazers part ways with Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood, two swingmen that have played immeasurably vital roles to the team’s success over the last few seasons. As part of his thank you to Portland, Trent Jr. took to Twitter to issue salutations and show appreciation to Blazers fans for their support.

Trent, a 22-year-old guard whose numbers had been on a steady, consistent year-to-year increase, was dealt for Toronto’s Norman Powell. Over three seasons, Trent Jr. averaged 10.2 points per game and connected on 40.1 percent of his three-point attempts. In the Blazers’ rotation, Trent gained traction as a valuable third option behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

This season, those numbers jumped all the way up to 15 points per game. He’s an impending restricted free agent, though, and that certainly played a role in the Blazers’ decision to move him.

On the defensive end, Trent often offered enough grit and energy to make life difficult for opposing scorers. There remains some discussion as to how much the Blazers improved defensively after dealing Trent, but those questions will soon be answered with Powell in the fold.

Trent Jr. follows an eerily similar trend to his father, former Blazers forward Gary Trent Sr. Just like his son, he was traded by the Blazers 41 games into his third season to the Raptors.

Suffice to say, it shouldn’t take long for Raptors fans to gravitate towards Trent and his infectious energy, defiant scowl, and ability to hit big shots. On behalf of the entire Blazer’s Edge staff, we wish Trent nothing but good luck in Toronto. We will always have that magical run in the Las Vegas Summer League.