Once upon a time, Gary Trent Jr. was an exciting up-and-coming player for the Trail Blazers. He looked like a core piece for the team early in his career, especially when he averaged 15.0 points in the first 41 games of his third season. When he was traded to Toronto for Norman Powell in 2021, it felt like Portland gave up on him too soon.
Fast forward to 2026, though, and fans can feel at peace, and maybe even relieved, that Trent isn’t in Rip City anymore. Not only is the shooting guard coming off his worst NBA campaign since he was a rookie, but he’s also swirled into some controversy with the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving his future in the league in jeopardy.
Gary Trent Jr.’s stock is plummeting
For a couple of years post-Powell trade, Trent was a very valuable role player for the Raptors. He averaged 18.3 points in 2021-22 and 17.4 points in 2022-23, establishing himself as an elite shooter at the two who could also disrupt defensively. Given Norman Powell barely stuck around with Portland, any frustration about the franchise flipping Trent was valid back then.
Now, though, Trent’s career is going south. The league has begun moving away from three-point specialists, so the bar is extra high for guys of that archetype to not only stick, but play real rotation minutes in meaningful games.
Unfortunately for Trent, he just had a bad year at the worst time. He was awesome for the Bucks in 2024-25, especially in the playoffs, but in 2025-26, he was almost a total non-factor. On the season, he averaged 8.1 points on 38.7% from the field and 36.0% from three. That’s a far cry from the productivity of his Toronto days.
To make matters worse, his name is currently in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. He somehow earned a multi-year $64 million deal from the Bucks in free agency despite his poor performance in 2025-26, potentially due to a handshake deal made last summer, and the NBA is investigating the contract to see if anyone broke any rules.
The Blazers can finally be at peace with the Trent trade
As much as this Blazers team needs shooting, it’s safe to say that Trent wouldn’t be worth the squeeze anymore. He’s as streaky as ever, and the skills he brings to the table are relatively easy to replace on the open market. Plus, they certainly wouldn’t want to be the club investing $64 million in him right now.
Trent had some fun moments for Portland, but in retrospect, he was never going to be a cornerstone for them. Any gripes with that 2021 trade should be shoved to the bottom of the trash.
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