The Milwaukee Bucks' decision to re-sign Gary Trent Jr. to a four-year, $64 million contract extension has sent shockwaves through NBA circles. It's so puzzling in the eyes of many that some people have called for an investigation into the deal. It's that bad. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie is one of those who are confused about the entire thing and thinks the NBA should look into it.
"The NBA should probably take a look at what is a truly nonsensical contract here given that Trent just averaged 8 PPG and shot 39% from the field in 22 minutes per game last season."
Trent's deal has NBA people stunned
If Trent had a great 2025-26, none of this would matter. However, he just had the worst season of his entire career outside of his rookie year. As Vecenie just pointed out, Trent didn't even crack double-digit points or shoot above 40 percent from the field. Players like that typically receive one-year contracts worth the minimum to prove themselves, not $64 million fully guaranteed over four years.
To put just how hefty this contract is into perspective, CBS' Sam Quinn noted that Trent earned the eighth-highest total contract of free agency so far. The players who got more are Trae Young, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ayo Dosunmu, Tari Eason, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Coby White. After the year he just had, many would argue Trent is a tier or two below all of those players.
People around the league clearly believe something is going on here.
Time will tell if the NBA looks into this
NBA figures have been wondering whether there was some sort of handshake deal between Trent and the team last summer, when the guard signed a minimum contract to return to the Milwaukee Bucks. Trent had just had an incredible playoff series—despite a blunder at the end—and was very clearly deserving of a raise. That's obviously a bold accusation without proof at the moment.
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 (@NateDuncanNBA) July 11, 2026
Only time will tell if the NBA truly decides to look into this situation. They currently have their hands full with the investigation into Kawhi Leonard, the LA Clippers, and Aspiration involving fellow claims of cap circumvention.
The Milwaukee Bucks clearly believe in Trent. They just made that loud and clear with what many are calling one of the most baffling contracts in basketball. Now, time will tell if Trent can fire back at all of his doubters and bounce back from what was undeniably an ugly year. If he does, all of this talk about how egregious this contract is will fade.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google