Overview
- The NBA confirmed on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the four‑year, $64 million contract Gary Trent Jr. signed to rejoin the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Trent’s new deal averages $16 million a year despite a 2025–26 season in which he averaged about 8.1 points and saw his minutes and role fall.
- Investigators are focused on whether there was a prohibited prearranged promise that led Trent to accept low‑value deals in 2024 and 2025 so the Bucks could later use Early Bird rights to pay him more.
- The Bucks could defend the contract by pointing to reported market interest and possible sign‑and‑trade talks, but the league will look for communications or documents because past circumvention cases hinged on written evidence and led to fines and lost draft picks.
- The probe is active and could take months to conclude, and it runs parallel to the separate Clippers/Kawhi Leonard review that has already stretched the league’s timetable for cap‑circumvention cases.