On the day that Gary Trent Jr.’s new deal with the Bucks was officially announced by the team, reports also state that the league will investigate it for possible salary cap circumvention.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, “The NBA is probing the signed $64 million free-agent deal for Gary Trent Jr. with the Milwaukee Bucks, per a league spokesperson.” Marc Stein reiterated the news, stating, “The Bucks officially announced the deal today and the NBA now says it is being looked into after Trent played
the past two seasons on a sub-$4 million salary and dipped statistically in 2025-26.”
Yes, it seems it was too lucrative after all. And now, after all the good that has happened this offseason, we the Bucks have to navigate the summer with this cloud lingering over their heads.
Regarding the deal itself, Jake Fischer reported that it “is fully guaranteed. Year-to-year salary breakdown, per sources: $15.2 million for 2026-27, jumps up to $16.4 million for 2027-28 and 2028-29, then back down to $16 million in Year 4.”
Of course, the deal stunk the moment it was reported and there’s reason rumours of it surfaced long before it was officially reported.
For one, Trent’s play with the Bucks last season was arguably the worst of his career. After exploding in the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers in their 2025 first-round series, averaging 18.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and a league-leading 2.6 SPG, while shooting 52% from the field and 50% from three (on 8.8 attempts per game), Trent came into the 2025-26 season with high expectations and a starting role. But, after starting the season’s first 12 games, he quickly found himself relegated to the bench, where he would stay for much of the season. Overall, Trent’s 2025-26 campaign saw him average career lows across the board (excluding his rookie season where he played just 15 games): 8.1 points (on .387/.360/.769 splits), 1.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG.
Two, following the trade that sent Giannis to the Miami Heat and the NBA Draft, the Bucks are loaded at the guard positions. Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., and AJ Green were already ahead of Trent in the rotation and now, with Tyler Herro, Brayden Burries, and Kasparas Jakučionis also on board, Trent doesn’t figure to even sniff the hardwood. Throw in two-way guards Cormac Ryan, who showed out down the stretch last season, and Kam Jones, who’s had himself a solid Summer League, and there really is no on-court justification to keep Trent—especially at that price and on a deal of that length.
But there is something to say about keeping your word. And by following through with any “handshake agreement” they had, Jon Horst and his team have sent a message that the Bucks are an organisation that honours its word and looks after its players. Of course, Burries, like Trent, is a Klutch Sports Group client too. So, all of this could pay dividends down the road—or even in the short term, should the Bucks wind up with another Klutch client, Peyton Watson.
Still, at least for the time being, this is a bad look for the Bucks and if the Kawhi Leonard Aspiration investigation is anything to go by, it will linger.
Bucks fans, where do you sit on the spectrum from “Meh” to “The house is burning down!”? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
