The Philadelphia 76ers have a prime opportunity to address a lot of their problems this summer. After all, with nearly half of their players set to hit the open market, a bunch of roster spots are bound to open up. One area in particular that needs to be fixed for this team next season is three-point shooting, and to that effect, a name they should be looking out for is Gary Trent Jr.
After a very productive campaign in his first year with the Bucks in 2024-25, Trent saw his numbers decline this season. From averaging 11.1 points and shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range, he registered just 8.1 points a night last season. His efficiency from beyond the arc took a hit as well, as he canned just 36 percent of his triples. As such, now that he is entering free agency, his price tag has probably taken a major hit.
In that regard, the 76ers should try to capitalize. After all, Trent is still one of the better operators from out in the perimeter for a few years now, and a single down year should not entirely negate his body of work. There is a lot to like about his game, which should cudgel the front office into taking advantage of his suddenly less costly market.
The 76ers should take advantage of Gary Trent Jr. and his suddenly cheaper price tag
Three-point shooting is an urgent need for the 76ers. This season, they ranked in the bottom-third of the league in all three-point shooting metrics, which is a cause of concern for a team with so many individual shot creators and rim runners.
Trent, who is a career 38.7 percent shooter from rainbow country, is someone whom defenses should constantly stick to and be mindful of on the court. He generates a lot of breathing room on the offensive end, which is precisely what the 76ers need to complement their glut of scorers.
If Philly opts to, say, move on from Quentin Grimes, that should behoove them to get even more aggressive in targeting Trent. The Bucks are probably going to move on from him to pivot to their younger players, and Trent will definitely not cost a lot after the kind of campaign he just had in Milwaukee.
The 76ers front office, now led by Mike Gansey, has to be more creative than ever before if they want to improve their shallow depth. And to that end, they should take advantage of players who won't come expensive, and Gary Trent Jr. is one of them.
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