With Cam Thomas now on the Milwaukee Bucks, Gary Trent Jr.'s place in the rotation has been taken off the board entirely. Thomas logged 13 minutes in his Bucks debut, a tough 118-99 road loss to the Orlando Magic, while Trent didn't even get off the bench. In what felt destined to be a big year for the playoff riser, Trent has shockingly gone from starter to depth piece.
Gary Trent Jr. falls out of the rotation in stunning fashion
Last season, despite a costly blunder at the end, Trent was fantastic for Milwaukee in the postseason. In five games, he averaged 18.8 points and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from deep, doing everything in his power to propel an injured Bucks team past the Indiana Pacers. They fell short, but Trent swiftly made it clear that he was a key part of this team.
Thinking he could build off that playoff showing, Bucks fans were thrilled that Trent was back with the team this season, even reclaiming his spot in the starting five. However, the Trent who was on fire for those five games was nowhere to be found. He struggled so mightily that he was yanked out of the opening lineup and then out of the rotation entirely.
On the season, Trent is averaging 8.5 points and 36.5 percent from deep, both of which rank as the second-worst of his entire career outside of his rookie year. It's not like he isn't getting opportunities and good looks. He's shooting just 37.8 percent on "open" 3-point looks and 37.6 percent on "wide open" perimeter looks despite having attempted over 100 each. He's just not hitting them enough.
With Milwaukee's offense performing so poorly this season, it makes sense to get a player in Thomas and replace Trent with him. Over the last three seasons, Thomas has averaged 21.4 points per game, showing a knack for scoring. With Trent stuck in the mud, it makes sense to give extended action to a player with upside like that.
Now, barring something unforeseen, it feels likely that Trent's time with the Milwaukee Bucks will soon come to an end. He does have a player option for next season worth $3.9 million, but after how things have gone this season, he may elect to go elsewhere and start fresh. There is still time to flip the script with the Bucks, but it's certainly a long shot for Trent.
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