Several players have signed new contracts in free agency. Most of those deals have included a raise. Yet, in recent times, no contract has raised more eyebrows than the one Gary Trent Jr. signed with the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason.
Trent is not what we could call a star player. He started just 21 of his team’s games last season. But he got paid like a key starter, signing a four-year, $64 million fully guaranteed contract with Milwaukee.
The NBA world did a double-take when the news initially came across, and they haven’t stopped talking about it ever since. Now, it’s developed into a full-blown controversy.
NBA Investigating Gary Trent Jr.’s Contract, Community Reacts
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania, the NBA is “probing” the $64 million contract Trent signed with Milwaukee this offseason. Per NBA TV’s Chris Haynes, “The NBA is continuing to look into it.”
This is ridiculous man lol https://t.co/vrlreNZumb
— KDG 🧀🦌 (@Official414) July 16, 2026
It’s a fascinating development because typically, the league doesn’t have to comb over each contract with a fine-toothed comb. Yet this one has generated a lot of attention since it was announced. After all, Trent had just signed a two-year, $7.58 million contract with the Bucks in 2025.
Trent Jr. contract timeline
– July 2024: Signed a 2 year vet minimum with a player option
– July 2025: Opted out and signed a 2 year non-bird with a player option
– July 2026: After establishing bird rights, signed a 4 year/$64M contract with Milwaukee.
Certainly a gray… https://t.co/FeDCpzMSO0
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 16, 2026
So, were the Bucks getting away by paying Trent so little before, or are they ballooning his salary now to ensure they hit at least the salary floor over the next few seasons while trying to build this roster into a contender again?
NBA analyst Jake Weinbach wrote, “It’s clearly a suspicious timeline of events between Gary Trent Jr. and the Bucks, but the NBA will need to find sufficient evidence of cap circumvention to punish Milwaukee, which could be difficult to prove as the league investigates Trent’s new four-year, $64M deal.”
It’s clearly a suspicious timeline of events between Gary Trent Jr. and the Bucks, but the NBA will need to find sufficient evidence of cap circumvention to punish Milwaukee, which could be difficult to prove as the league investigates Trent’s new four-year, $64M deal. https://t.co/bBDyPyX3hz
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) July 16, 2026
Now, Trent is a year older, and his playing time actually decreased from 25.6 minutes per game in 2024- 25 to 21.2 minutes per game this past season. Players don’t usually suddenly start making over four times their salary as they get older, especially if it doesn’t include increased production.
Nick, a Pistons fan on X, also mentioned, “The deal is so bad they are investigating it.”
The deal is so bad they are investigating it 😭 https://t.co/maNvfx4sfU
— nick (@nsitto2) July 16, 2026
Yet, Trent’s points per game also dipped from 11.1 a year ago down to 8.1 this season. That’s not all. His shooting percentages, rebounds, steals, and blocks, nearly all his numbers declined, but his salary is set to skyrocket. It’s the kind of deal every player wishes their agent could secure.
Knicks Union, a NYC franchise fan page, wrote on X, “Contract so bad Adam had to step in.”
Contract so bad Adam had to step in 😭 https://t.co/GQbGEoaMkb
— Knicks Union 🗽 (@knicks_union) July 16, 2026
Slightly Biased, another X page, wrote, “Imagine being an NBA player and signing a contract so bad it immediately gets investigated.”
imagine being an NBA player and signing a contract so bad it immediately gets investigated https://t.co/pwBlpaMlFl
— Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) July 16, 2026
For Trent, he wouldn’t want to be known or recognized as the player whose contract sparked a controversy when decisions like this likely had nothing to do with him. Anything that may be taking place is happening behind closed doors, with people who are way above him in the pecking order.
It will be interesting to see how the NBA moves this investigation forward. It’s unlikely that Trent’s contract will be voided, but one thing we have learned about the NBA is that it’s pretty unpredictable.
