Grading Gary Trent Jr.'s sensational deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks and Gary Trent Jr. made things official Saturday night after the guard inked his one-year deal with the franchise.
He heads to Milwaukee after stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors. Trent reunites with Damian Lillard, Milwaukee's starting point guard, several years removed from their time together with the Blazers. One would have to think that Lillard had a rather large hand in this move, doing what he needed to convince his former teammate to join forces with him once again.
Trent is by far the splashiest addition the Bucks have made this off-season, at least thus far. That's no knock on their other signings, as they are also all strong moves, but this one stands alone for several reasons. That said, let's explain why based on several factors before handing this deal a letter grade.
The financial aspect of Gary Trent Jr.'s deal with the Bucks
According to Spotrac, the estimated financial figure for Trent's one-year deal is $2,087,519. That's a steal of a contract for the Milwaukee Bucks, who just landed a 25-year-old surefire starting two guard for the bare minimum. There was talk of him getting an annual salary of upwards of $10 million in free agency this off-season, so just a tick over $2 million is unquestionably an eye-catching end result.
It quite literally does not get any better than this for the Bucks in terms of bang for your buck.
When looking at all of Milwaukee's free agency signings, general manager Jon Horst and the rest of this front office need their flowers for adding impact pieces with such little financial flexibility. Trent, Delon Wright and Taurean Prince all signed minimum deals and are expected to play key roles for the Bucks next season. Getting them so cheap is huge for a team with limited financial flexibility.