Former Duke basketball guard Gary Trent Jr. has inked a two-year, $7.5 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks. This comes one season after signing with the Bucks on a one-year, veteran minimum deal after the 2024 NBA season.
Trent had played a respectable professional career up to the end of the 2024 season, so it was a bit of a surprise to some around the league after he could only muster a veteran minimum deal with Milwaukee after spending three full seasons as a consistent part of the rotation for the Toronto Raptors, starting in 169 of the 224 games he appeared in as a member of the Raptors.
The former Duke guard began his career with the Portland Trail Blazers after being selected with the 37th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Trent played three seasons in Portland before being dealt to Toronto during the 2020-21 season as part of a deal that sent Norman Powell back to the Blazers.
He struggled in his first two seasons as a pro, but blossomed in his third year, which eventually upped his trade value quite a bit and gave him a chance to be a true rotational piece in the NBA.
After playing 17 games with the Raptors after being traded in 2021, Trent put together his best NBA season in his first full campaign with Toronto. The seven-year NBA vet tallied career-highs in points per game (18.3) and steals per game (1.7) in the 2021-22 season.
Now, Trent played a bit of a gamble after his contract with the Raptors was up, which ended up costing him millions of dollars. Before he became a free agent after the 2024 season, Toronto offered him a contract worth $15 million, but he wanted more on the open market. Following the 2023-24 season, his worst as a Raptor, his value in the free agent market wasn't as high as he'd anticipated, and he was forced to play on the veteran minimum.
However, after his one season with Milwaukee, where Trent was a critical piece off the bench, averaging 11.1 points per game on 41.6% shooting from three, he's now signed a multi-year contract with the franchise, cementing his spot in the league for at least the next couple of seasons.
The Bucks have made some wild moves so far this offseason, signing former Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal, but also releasing star Damian Lillard. With all of the questions that surround Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee, the Bucks will be one of the most intriguing teams to watch unfold next season.