DHJ Quick Take: Gary Trent Jr. Building Momentum Toward Bucks Return
Gary Trent Jr. has momentum on a multi-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, a league source told Dallas Hoops Journal, days after he declined his player option and hit free agency.
- Where do Gary Trent Jr.’s talks stand? Momentum is building on a multi-year return to Milwaukee, per a league source.
- Why does it matter for the Bucks? It would keep a veteran shooter through the Early Bird exception as Milwaukee resets around a younger core after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
- How does the deal fit under the cap? Trent’s 2024 non-Bird contract preserved Early Bird rights, allowing a four-year offer without the mid-level exception.
- What’s next? Talks can continue, but nothing can be signed until the NBA’s free agency moratorium lifts in early July, with roster moves still expected before opening night.
Gary Trent Jr. has momentum toward a multi-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal, days after the guard declined his player option and reached the open market. The sides are expected to work out a multi-year contract, per league sources.
That marks a shift from how his market read a few days ago. Chris Haynes reported over the weekend that Trent would turn down his roughly $3.9 million option for 2026-27 and draw interest from shooting-needy contenders, with Miami, Boston, Orlando, and the Lakers among the names tied to him. The current momentum points to Milwaukee.
The traction comes after the leanest statistical season of Trent’s career outside his rookie year. He averaged 8.1 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 21.2 minutes a night in 2025-26, shooting 38.7% from the field and 36.0% from 3-point range, and his role thinned as the year went on.
Gary Trent Jr. Trends Back Toward Milwaukee Bucks
The path to a longer deal traces back to the bargain Trent signed in 2024. He took a two-year, $7.5 million contract through the non-Bird exception, a move that preserved his Early Bird rights and set up a bigger payday this summer if his play held. A four-year offer is what those rights let Milwaukee put on the table without dipping into other cap tools.
Now 27 and entering his eighth season, Trent is a career 38.7% shooter on 6.1 attempts from deep per game. He showed his ceiling in the 2025 playoffs against Indiana, scoring 37 and 33 points in two games of that first-round series, and he had cleared 11.0 points per game in each of the six seasons before last year’s drop.
How the Milwaukee Bucks Can Fit the Deal
Milwaukee enters the offseason reshaped. The franchise agreed to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami for a younger group fronted by Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis, plus draft capital. Holding Trent’s Early Bird rights gives the front office a way to keep him while leaving the mid-level exception open for other business.
The fit carries questions. Milwaukee already runs a crowded backcourt, and bringing Trent back stacks another guard into a rotation that could still move in further trades before opening night.
What Comes Next for the Milwaukee Bucks
Talks can continue through the league’s free agency moratorium, but nothing can be signed until it lifts in early July.
Milwaukee also has roster math to settle, with as many as 21 offseason contracts that have to come down to 15 standard deals and three two-ways by opening night.
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