Bucks, Gary Trent Jr Agree To One-Year Deal

The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent wing Gary Trent Jr., agents Rich Paul and Lucas Newton told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Trent Jr. appeared in 71 games for the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24. He averaged 13.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.1 blocks while shooting 42.6% from the field, 39.3% from beyond the arc and 77.1% from the free-throw line. 

A Duke product, Trent Jr. has career averages of 14.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks with the Portland Trail Blazers and Raptors. He was the 37th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. 

He reportedly was also being pursued by the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets after it became clear he would not return to the Raptors.

Meanwhile, the Bucks have been on the lookout for wing scoring after losing Malik Beasley to the Detroit Pistons in free agency.

At any rate, it appears the Raptors did have at least a passing interest in bringing back Trent.

“As of this writing, unrestricted free agent Gary Trent Jr. – who started 154 games for Toronto over the past three years — remains unsigned,” Josh Lewenberg of TSN wrote last week. “While the door hasn’t been closed completely — the team is expected to meet with Trent’s representatives again in Las Vegas this week — multiple league sources believe the Raptors are prepared to move on from the 25-year-old guard.

“Per a source, the Raptors were willing to bring the sharpshooter back at an annual salary of around $15 million when the negotiation window opened last month, but Trent’s camp was looking for a raise on the $18.5 million he made last season. Something in the $25 million range was believed to be the ask, a misread of a market that hasn’t been kind to players of Trent’s ilk – a very good three-point shooter (38 percent as a Raptor) who has shown flashes in other areas but hasn’t been able to sustain them, especially on defense.”