The Milwaukee Bucks enter the offseason with the goal of keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo happy by tweaking the roster to remain competitive around him.
Their top priority along the way should be retaining Gary Trent Jr. Playing great on his minimum deal, averaging 18.5 points and 2.6 steals per contest while shooting 50 percent from distance in the NBA Playoffs against Indiana, Trent is due for a raise when he enters free agency. Although he should have plenty of suitors, the Bucks have a new tool that could allow them to keep Trent in the 414.
Kyle Kuzma trade gives the Milwaukee Bucks offseason flexibility
The Kyle Kuzma trade has caused plenty of controversy, especially after his role quickly fizzled on the biggest stage in the postseason. However, it could help the Milwaukee Bucks mightily this offseason, as the trade took them out of the second apron and gave them legitimate flexibility to utilize to patch up the roster.
Per The Athletic's Eric Nehm and Sam Amick, the Bucks will have access to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception this offseason, worth about $14.1 million. That's an incredibly useful tool, giving the Bucks a legitimate asset to entice free agents. Milwaukee can split up that amount between multiple players, but if they want to keep Trent, they could offer him the entire sum, a likely option for Milwaukee.
If the Milwaukee Bucks do indeed use the exception fully on Trent, it will be money well spent. He was arguably the team's second-best player in the playoffs, and at 26, he's still rather young, meaning the wing could be a building block for the franchise moving forward. The Bucks have been looking for a steady starting shooting guard for years, and Gary Trent Jr. could very well be that moving forward.
Trent embodies exactly the kind of basketball the Milwaukee Bucks should look to play following their collapse to the Indiana Pacers. They need to be scrappy, energized and intense. Trent, hitting an array of clutch shots and making timely defensive plays on the big stage, has the chops to be a legitimate two-way weapon for this team as they aim to bounce back.
Free agency is still a few months away, so the Milwaukee Bucks have time to prepare. However, once it opens, retaining Trent should be the first order of business, even if it costs a good chunk of change.
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