It would be hard to blame any Milwaukee Bucks fan who didn't notice Gary Trent Jr.'s absence from the rotation on Monday. He has become all but a ghost, even more so lately. In an improbable turn of events, Gary Harris is consuming what would be Trent's share of minutes. If the game against the Hawks reflects the latter's current standing on the roster, he's more likely destined to become trade bait than earn his way back into the mix.
Latest development might be nail in the coffin
Maybe Doc Rivers was just giving Trent a mental break, but in what felt like a must-win game, coming off a multi-day rest period, that would be an odd time to do it. The honest truth of the matter is that no one should be surprised. Subordinating Trent in the rotation isn't another Doc Rivers shenanigan. It's been a long time coming as Trent's nightmare of a season just keeps getting worse.
In his last 12 games, Trent had more scoreless outings (three) than nights in double figures (one). He made more than two field goals twice and is shooting 29 percent from the field. As disappointing a season as he was having before, this recent stretch had him circling the drain. Rivers taking him out of the rotation just officially pulled the plug.
Trent lost his starting job long ago. His overall numbers don't conceal what a struggle it has been all season. He is averaging just 8.5 points on 38/36/82 shooting splits while being pushed around on defense.
The Bucks re-signed him to a two-year deal in free agency, hoping he could return closer to his Raptors peak with a scoring average in the mid-teens. The opportunity for shot volume was there, but inefficiency kept Trent from ever approaching what the team hoped to get out of him as a second, third, or fourth option.
Monday in Atlanta he wasn't any option at all. His minutes had already crashed, and his most recent play made Rivers' decision easy. During the three-game losing streak Milwaukee stewed over the weekend, Trent played 15 minutes or less each time and shot a combined 3-of-12. Leaning all the way into Harris shouldn't carry much controversy if the Bucks have finally decided to yank the cord.
If the Bucks don't want him, why would another team? Even Trent's $3.7 million could help the Bucks match incoming pieces in a trade.
For example, packaging one of Trent or Gary Harris with Kyle Kuzma and two minimum salaries would allow the Bucks to meet the financial requirements of a Michael Porter Jr. trade while holding onto Bobby Portis, either to keep him around or use him in a separate move. There are, of course, many other ways the Bucks could utilize Trent's money as the last jigsaw piece of a trade puzzle.
It's also true that, while he has had a disastrous year in Milwaukee, he could rebound next season, assuming he picks up his 2026-27 player option, offering the receiving team the chance to get something of real value, on the chance this year is just a fluke. What seems clear, as long as Trent remains a Buck, is that he should have a difficult time getting minutes in the games ahead.