sports
NBA Reviews Submitted Bucks Contract With Gary Trent Jr. for Possible Salary Cap Issues
The league is examining a $64 million contract for possible salary cap circumvention after the Bucks submitted the agreement Thursday. Trent averaged career-low scoring last season before opting out of his prior deal.
Jul 19, 1:13 PM·1m read1 source
bleedingcool.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
The NBA is investigating a four-year, $64 million deal between guard Gary Trent Jr. and the Milwaukee Bucks for possible salary cap circumvention, ESPN reported. The league opened the review after the Bucks announced and submitted the contract Thursday morning.
Trent, 27, is set to earn $15.2 million in the coming season under the new terms. He posted some of the lowest production of his career in 2025-26, averaging 8.1 points on 38.7 percent shooting. Those figures marked his weakest output since he appeared in 15 games as a rookie with Portland in 2018-19.
Trent signed for the league minimum in the summer of 2024 and averaged 11.1 points on 43 percent shooting during his first season in Milwaukee, which included a strong playoff showing. The Bucks then gave him a two-year, $7.5 million contract that paid $3.7 million in 2025-26 and created his early Bird rights. Trent opted out of the player option this summer to enter free agency.
The league's collective bargaining agreement prohibits prior agreements that would circumvent the salary cap. Rival executives had anticipated Trent's return to Milwaukee for months after he played below his perceived market value last season. The NBA previously voided a contract and imposed penalties in a similar case involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and forward Joe Smith in 2000.
