Gary Trent Jr. Bet on Himself. The Bucks Just Paid Him $64 Million.

Gary Trent Jr. is staying in Milwaukee. And he’s getting paid a lot more than anyone expected a few months ago.

The Bucks officially re-signed the free agent shooting guard to a four-year, $64 million deal Saturday. That’s $16 million per year for a guy who just posted the lowest scoring numbers of his career since his rookie season. On paper, it looks like a gamble. But the Bucks clearly see something they’re willing to bet on.

NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news, reporting that negotiations had been running since the NBA Finals wrapped up in mid-June. Trent’s agents at Klutch Sports, Rich Paul and Lucas Newton, worked through sign-and-trade scenarios with other teams over the last week before circling back to close the deal with Milwaukee.

A Weird Path to a Big Payday

Trent wasn’t supposed to be here. He was a second-round pick out of Duke in 2018, drafted by the Kings and immediately shipped to Portland. From there he bounced to Toronto, then landed in Milwaukee in 2024 on a one-year, $2.6 million deal. He signed a two-year, $7.6 million extension last offseason, then opted out of his $3.9 million player option this summer to test the market.

That’s a lot of movement for a guy who just averaged 8.1 points, 1.2 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 65 games this season. His shooting percentage dropped to 38.7 percent from the field. The numbers don’t jump off the page. But the Bucks front office clearly values his defensive versatility and his ability to space the floor when he’s locked in. They’re betting the down year was an outlier, not a trend.

What This Means for Milwaukee

The Bucks are all-in on their current core. Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t getting younger. Damian Lillard needs shooters around him who can hold up on the other end. Trent, at 26 years old, fits that description when he’s right. The contract is a bet that last season was the floor, not the ceiling.

And honestly, it’s not hard to see why Trent bet on himself either. He walked away from a guaranteed $3.9 million and ended up with $64 million. That’s a swing that worked out. Sometimes the market tells you what you’re worth. Sometimes you tell the market.