The Clippers have already been found guilty of circumventing the NBA’s salary-cap rules.
Now the Bucks are waiting to find out whether the league believes they broke those rules, too.
And after what happened to Los Angeles, the Bucks probably have reason to pay particularly close attention.
The NBA launched an investigation into Milwaukee this summer surrounding Gary Trent Jr.’s new four-year, $64 million contract, as noted by Blake Silverman of Sports Illustrated.
Trent initially joined the Bucks on a veteran minimum contract two years ago, then returned on a two-year, $7.6 million deal last offseason. He declined a $3.9 million player option this summer before receiving the considerably larger contract from Milwaukee.
The question is whether there was any sort of improper agreement involving those contracts. Nothing has been established, and there’s no indication yet that the Bucks’ situation approaches what the NBA found in its investigation of the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.
Still, the timing is interesting.
Los Angeles just lost five first-round picks and received a $30 million fine, among several other penalties, after the league concluded that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap.
There’s also some history here. The Timberwolves originally lost five first-round picks in 2000 after the NBA uncovered an improper agreement involving Joe Smith, although two were eventually returned.
That doesn’t mean Milwaukee is next in line for the same treatment.
But if nothing else, the Clippers case just provided a fairly dramatic reminder of how seriously the NBA is willing to punish teams if it determines they circumvented the cap.
The Bucks’ investigation suddenly looks a little more interesting than it did a week ago.
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From the point of view of somebody who saw some of those Bucks games when Trent Jr was playing for the minimum… this seems more like back pay or a thank you for a job well done while playing for just the minimum, and/or a statement that we see what you’re doing for us and believe in you enough to know your market price next season will NOT be the vets minimum.. Trent Jr played himself into a great contract.. If you want to debate the amount, go ahead and that’s what this will turn into, these investigations, but its important to know what happened on the floor. And know that he was taking over and winning games for them when he was playing for the minimum.
There is nothing suspicious about knowing your value as a player. Trent Jr knew he played himself into a better long term situation. Either the Bucks had to step up or somebody else would. II hope Pablo can use his connections to “find out” how well Gary Trent Jr had been playing for the Bucks.