After trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo, many NBA fans probably didn't expect much else from the Milwaukee Bucks, but their latest move leaves everyone confused. The Bucks re-signed guard Gary Trent Jr. to a 4-year, $64 million deal despite having only averaged 8 points per game last season.
That's a shocking overpay that caused many on social media to cry foul. In fact, Nate Duncan of the Dunk'd On podcast also took issue with the deal.
""Gary Trent getting 4/$64 after the year he just had is obvious circumvention and should be punished by the league. This would fall under the provision that there is no possible explanation other than circumvention."Nate Duncan
If judging it purely on its merits, is 4/$64m for Gary Trent Jr. the most absurd deal in NBA history relative to the market if judging at the moment the deal was signed?
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) July 12, 2026
"Gary Trent getting 4/$64 after the year he just had is obvious circumvention and should be punished by the league. This would fall under the provision that there is no possible explanation other than circumvention." Nate Duncan
I agree completely, and everyone and their mama can see that something fishy is going on here.
Something is clearly off about the Milwaukee Bucks' Gary Trent Jr.
Disappointing players don't normally get massive pay raises out of the blue. That's what caught many by surprise and is reminiscent of the Los Angeles Clippers situation with Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers and Leonard are currently being investigated for salary cap circumvention, with L.A. accused of having paid their star millions off the books. This situation is slightly different. In fact, it's possibly more reminiscent of the Joe Smith situation back.
The plan was for the Minnesota Timberwolves to sign Smith to multiple one-year deals to secure his bird rights and then sign him to a big contract. That seems like what the Bucks did: sign Trent Jr. to cheap one-year contracts and then give him the bag.
Will the Bucks be punished for re-signing Gary Trent Jr.?
No investigation has been announced, so right now there are just raised eyebrows. If the NBA doesn't investigate, then it would seem like a double standard given what the Clippers have been accused of doing.
However, as NBA analyst Sam Vecenie points out, the punishment is the Bucks having to pay Trent Jr. $64 million. That's a brutal contract, even if they probably won't be a playoff team in the near future.
Nevertheless, it's hard for the Bucks to justify paying him that much when his value is a minimum contract. We'll have to wait and see how this situation plays out, but there is clearly more to this story.
