New Grayson Allen Deal May Be Precedent Setting for Raptors Guard

Grayson Allen's new contract with the Phoenix Suns should give the Toronto Raptors a fairly good idea of Gary Trent Jr.'s market in free agency

Grayson Allen may have just a set a precedent.

Contract comparisons are always a little tricky. Allen is 28 years old, coming off a career-best season on a star-studded team that afforded him the ability to take a ton of uncontested three-pointers. But it’s hard to look at Allen’s numbers and not think of how his new four-year, $70 million contract extension will impact Gary Trent Jr.

Trent had the opposite kind of season compared to Allen. The 24-year-old averaged 13.7 points per game for the Toronto Raptors, the worst since his sophomore season, and will head into free agency at probably the lowest point in his career.

It’s been tough to get a read on Trent’s future in Toronto. He’s still young enough to fit with the organization’s young core and his three-point shooting has been extremely helpful for a Raptors organization that’s generally been bereft of shooting. But the hasn’t been a ton of development from Trent over the past four seasons and he’s a bit more one dimensional than Allen.

There’s also the Donte DiVincenzo deal from last summer, four years, $46.9 million, that could be a reasonable comparison for Trent. DiVincenzo didn’t put up the same kind scoring stats Trent did this past year, but their efficiency metrics are pretty similar and DiVincenzo is better defensively and as a playmaker than Trent.

This certainly wasn’t how Trent wanted to head into free agency when he made the surprising decision to pick up his player option last summer. At the time, rumors were that he’d be looking at nearly $20 million per season on his next deal. Now with Allen having signed for $17.5 million per season, a number that high for Trent seems pretty unlikely.