The Milwaukee Bucks made a lot of noise this offseason, but one contract in particular had rival front offices talking. Gary Trent Jr. — a guy making less than $4 million a year for the last two seasons — just landed a four-year, $64 million deal that is fully guaranteed. That’s a massive jump, and it came together before the draft even happened.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the original buzz around the league had the Bucks looking at a three-year offer worth roughly $45 million for Trent. That itself would have been a pretty nice raise for a player who averaged 8.2 points last season on a career-worst 38.7 percent from the field. But then Klutch Sports got to work and things escalated quickly. By the time it was all done, Trent had a $64 million commitment from Milwaukee.
The math is pretty simple to follow. Trent’s previous two years with the Bucks were bargain deals. He signed for way less than market value, basically on a prove-it pact. He proved something, apparently, even if the numbers on the court don’t scream max-level money. The Bucks are betting that the 2025-26 version of Trent isn’t the real one. They’re banking on the guy who was once one of the most sought-after 3-and-D wings in the league.
And to be fair, that guy wasn’t that long ago. Trent started his NBA career as a second-round pick (37th overall) by the Sacramento Kings in 2018 and was promptly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He turned himself into a reliable perimeter scorer there, then broke out in Toronto. During the 2021-22 season with the Raptors, he averaged a career-high 18.3 points a night while shooting 38.3 percent from deep. That version of Trent is a legit starting guard on a good team.
But two seasons in Milwaukee dropped his production way down. He went from starter to role player, and his shot just stopped falling consistently. The advanced numbers weren’t kind either. So when you look at that $64 million number — an annual average of $16 million — it’s not hard to see why other teams were scratching their heads.
Some executives reportedly questioned whether the league office might look at this kind of salary jump after back-to-back minimum-level deals. That’s a talk for another day though.
For now, the Bucks are all in on Trent rediscovering his two-way form. They gave him the long-term security he didn’t get the first two times around. Whether that bet pays off will probably determine a lot more than just one player’s contract status in Milwaukee.
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