The Milwaukee Bucks roster had a question mark at shooting guard, but the team has now added the best shooter still available. Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Bucks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Last season with the Toronto Raptors, Trent averaged 13.7 points, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals. Most importantly, he shot 39 percent from three, giving Milwaukee a much-needed long-range threat at shooting guard after losing Malik Beasley to free agency.
Terms of the contract have not been disclosed. If Trent signed the veteran’s minimum, his seven NBA seasons earned him A $2.8 million dealHowever, he made $18.6 million on his player option last season, so that would be a significant pay cut. The Raptors are reportedly willing to re-sign him for $15 million before deciding to move forward.
“The expectation was that the asking price would be something like $25 million, a misreading of a market that has not been kind to players like Trent, 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.” TSN’s Josh Lewenberg reported.
Milwaukee did it Do not have a mid-level exception (valued at $13 million) available since they were above the second tax threshold. The Los Angeles Lakers were also supposedly interested in signing Trent for a lower fee.
Trent reunites with Damian Lillard, whom he played with on the Portland Trail Blazers from 2018-21. He made 40% of his 3-pointers for the Blazers and had plenty of free throw opportunities alongside Lillard, who is a lethal shooter from long range (he made 37% of his 3-pointers during his career in Portland).
The addition of Trent allows Milwaukee to keep Khris Middleton at small forward, where he has excelled for the past eight seasons. Last season, Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game and shot 38 percent from 3-point range.
The Bucks also added Delon Wright (37 percent from 3-point range last season) to the backcourt via free agency, and Taurean Prince (39 percent from 3-point range) for versatile defense on the wing. It’s unclear whether Milwaukee wanted to bring back Patrick Beverley, who announced Tuesday that he would play next season in Israel.
