The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t trade Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat this offseason. That part was predictable. What came next wasn’t.
The Bucks gave Gary Trent Jr. a four-year, $64 million extension. For context, Trent will make more money next season than Mitchell Robinson, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Bobby Portis. All of them. Trent averaged 8.1 points last year, his lowest since he was a rookie. He shot 38.7% from the floor. One rebound per game. 1.2 assists.
So people started asking questions. Some around the league suggested the Bucks might have gotten creative with the salary cap. Maybe too creative. The kind of creative that gets a league office’s attention.
But the NBA has stayed quiet. Marc Stein reported that the Bucks haven’t officially announced the deal yet. And according to Stein, that’s part of why the league hasn’t responded to requests for comment. There’s been plenty of external noise calling the contract suspicious, especially given that Trent signed a one-year minimum deal with Milwaukee in 2024 and then a two-year, $7.5 million extension last season. He’s represented by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is scheduled to hold a media conference Tuesday in Las Vegas during Summer League. Stein noted that Silver will almost certainly get asked about the Trent deal. He’ll also face questions about the Raptors’ decision to pause a trade that would have sent Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto from the Clippers.
Trent isn’t expected to play a huge role next season. The Bucks have Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Tyler Herro, AJ Green, Kasparas Jakucionis, Caris LeVert and Brayden Burries all competing for minutes in the backcourt. That’s a lot of bodies for a guy making $16 million a year.
Either the Bucks see something in Trent that the numbers don’t show, or they found a loophole the league hasn’t figured out how to close. Silver’s press conference should tell us which one it is.
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