Raptors expected to lose Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr in free agency

I will have a much bigger piece on potential free agents and sign-and-trade possibilities over the next few weeks. But these are some early names to put on the radar: Boston’s Grant Williams, Miami’s Max Strus, Golden State guard Donte DiVincenzo (has a player option), polarizing Charlotte swingman Kelly Oubre Jr., New York’s Josh Hart (has a player option), Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes (will cost around $20 million annually), Los Angeles sharpshooter Malik Beasley (the Lakers need to prioritize Austin Reaves), New Orleans wing Josh Richardson, Cameron Johnson (a pipedream target and restricted free agent that would probably require a large payday and the Cavs shaking up the roster), Gary Trent Jr., Yuta Watanabe, Joe Ingles, Jalen McDaniels and Torrey Craig. -via Cleveland Plain Dealer / May 19, 2023

Clutch Points: “The Lakers could be in the market for a point guard. When you think about the available point guards— Fred VanVleet, Kyrie Irving. Their best bet might be to bring back D’Angelo Russell.” —Shams Charania Thoughts? 🤔 (via @FanDuelTV) pic.twitter.com/sI9R74ZPqS -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / June 6, 2023

D’Angelo Russell’s future with the Lakers is fair less certain. Sign-and-trade possibilities exist — the Lakers have endlessly been tied with Kyrie Irving, and Fred VanVleet’s name has been mentioned since even before he joined Klutch Sports, though the Lakers could again be in a position where they’d be forced to part with one or more draft picks in a deal. Russell’s postseason struggles were probably a little overblown after a disastrous Western Conference finals, but expect the Lakers to look at upgrade options. There’s still a chance Russell returns on a good deal and the Lakers actually get the continuity they’ve spoken about building. -via Los Angeles Times / June 1, 2023

My read on the situation is that the Lakers would prefer to use D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade, but I’m not sure the market is there. Landing Kyrie Irving for Russell is shaping up to be a pipe dream, especially with Dallas unlikely to help Los Angeles out. Fred VanVleet, a Klutch client, looms as a possibility, but adding him would require Toronto to agree to terms with Russell (or take on the Beasley and Bamba contracts). Where, exactly, is the free-agency and trade market for Russell? I just don’t see it. -via The Athletic / May 31, 2023

The Magic, according to league sources, have their eyes firmly on Toronto free-agent guard Gary Trent Jr., a solid two-way guard who averaged 17.4 points last season and made 38.4% of his career 3-point tries. -via Heavy.com / June 6, 2023

Competing executives around the league don’t expect the Raptors to retain Gary Trent Jr., who may opt out of his $18.8 million contract. But he’ll need to do his homework to ensure that money is available in free agency (which may not be a lock in this market). Instead, he may opt in and eventually be traded by the Raptors. Others who may have suitors include Kelly Oubre Jr. (who could end up back in Charlotte with the Hornets), Dillon Brooks (unlikely to return to the Grizzlies) and Caris LeVert (pencil back with Cleveland). -via Bleacher Report / May 5, 2023