In a baffling move, the Milwaukee Bucks re-signed Gary Trent Jr. to a four-year, $64 million contract, fully guaranteed with no options on Saturday night. Rumors of a return were rife, but no one expected this sort of deal. This does mean the Bucks are back to 17 standard contracts and a full backcourt, meaning some guards will be out the door before the season starts.
Bucks need to move on a guard or two
A list of the current players now in the Milwaukee backcourt: Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Caris LeVert, Brayden Burries, Tyler Herro, Gary Trent Jr., and A.J. Green.
There is, of course, flexibility with rotations and positions, but having eight players who can play guard is a staggering amount.
The first name that jumps out as a potential odd man out is LeVert. The veteran was acquired in a six-team trade along with two second-round picks in exchange for Taurean Prince and Gary Harris. LeVert is a player who can provide off the bench and, being on an expiring deal, will be someone that contending teams could hope to add in a low-risk move. Chances are, he won't be on the roster for long, as he is clearly the likeliest trade candidate in the backcourt.
After him, Green, as a 3-point specialist, will catch the eyes of teams around the league. His extension kicks in for the four-year, $45 million deal he agreed to last summer. His defense has massively improved since he first came in, and he is arguably the most easily tradeable guard on the roster. Yet, there is a chance Taylor Jenkins sees him more as a small forward, and someone else is moved on.
Trent's deal is causing a stir already
After a player has averaged eight points per game and shot less than 40 percent from the field, they aren't often rewarded with these sorts of deals. That has started to cause a stir among NBA reporters who believe it is clearly circumvention following a handshake deal between player and front office last summer when Trent remained on a minimum deal.
Jenkins and the front office will have a plan, but having Trent around on this deal, which will be tough to move off of, could create some issues with aiding the development of younger players. The Bucks are clearly rebuilding and, for once, have a plethora of young talent who need game time to get Milwaukee back towards the ultimate goal.
Trent absolutely is still a good player, who has previously averaged 18.3 points per game in the NBA and will need to get back to that level for the contract to be worthwhile. He can aid this team with his talent after a clear down year, but clogging up the backcourt and potentially taking minutes away from prospects could backfire.
Time will tell what Jon Horst now does in order to cut the roster down, but the backcourt looks the obvious place to start.
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