Milwaukee Bucks fans should be rejoicing at latest reports: if they're true, then the Bucks don’t need a miracle or a young draft pick to fix their backcourt this offseason. As it turns out, all it takes is just a little math and some common sense.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski, free agent Gary Trent Jr., currently an unrestricted free agent, "is likely to command something in the $8 to 10 million range" annually.
That price point, which is admittedly much, much lower than what many had expected after the season he just had, instantly makes Trent one of the most attainable rotation guards for Milwaukee this summer. And it brings a two-guard fix into focus.
The Milwaukee Bucks now have a real path to keeping Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr.
Earlier on, the conversation surrounding the two guards was who the Bucks would have to keep and who they would have to give up. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore if this is indeed the amount Trent Jr. is expecting.
Heading into this offseason, the Bucks hold the full $14.1 million midlevel exception. It's a relatively decent, if not meager, level of spending power for a team with few trade assets and no cap space.
If Trent is truly available for around $9 million annually, Milwaukee can offer it today and still have room to maneuver. He checks every box for a Lillard-less Bucks roster: he can shoot, defend multiple positions, and scale his usage depending on who’s on the floor.
Most importantly, he doesn’t need to be a primary ballhandler, making him a seamless partner for either a second-unit lead guard or Giannis-centric lineups.
This means that their second lead guard might still be Kevin Porter Jr., who quietly played solid, mistake-free basketball in Milwaukee after being cleared to return late in the season. Baggage aside, anyone paying attention knows that he ended up fitting in much better than expected, and was even the main reason they ran away with the win in more than a few regular-season games.
If Trent takes around $9 million, the Bucks could comfortably offer KPJ a deal in the $4–5 million range from there using the rest of the MLE.
For perhaps the first time this offseason, it feels there may be no pressure to choose between them. They can keep both. The path to doing so isn't just feasible at this point -- it's the obvious choice. And suddenly, a backcourt that was set to open the season with Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, and two question marks could have a clear pecking order.
If Milwaukee stands pat now, it’s by choice, not necessity. With the spending tools they have and the revitalized drive to contend this season, retaining a Trent–Porter combo is the sensible way forward.
If they manage to keep both of their X-factors, the Bucks can stabilize their rotation, maintain financial flexibility, and avoid overcommitting to long-term contracts.
They don’t need splashy trades or impossible signings to save the season. They just need to get this two-step right. And as of this week, it’s clearer than ever how they can.