MILWAUKEE — Reputable organizations across the league are reporting that shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. will sign with the Milwaukee Bucks on a one-year contract. The 25-year-old spent the first two and a half seasons of his career in Portland with Damian Lillard and has since established himself as a reputable shooter with the ability to force turnovers.
Trent, whose signing was first announced by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, averaged 16.4 points per game and shot 38.2% on seven 3-pointers per game over the last three seasons in Toronto. He’s also a pesky defender at 6-foot-5 who’s known for interrupting passing lands and generating steals at a high rate with quick and active hands on the perimeter.
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Filling the final official roster spot on his team, General Manager Jon Horst retained his core this offseason while signing three veterans with two-way upside on minimum contracts without having to ship any of his players off or attach draft capital. It also helped transition the team to a bit of a younger and more defensive-minded approach, aiming to boost a Bucks group that finished just 19th in defensive rating in the 2023-24 regular season.
Trent serves as a clear replacement for Malik Beasley, who departed for a one-year, $6 million contract with the Detroit Pistons this summer. Furthermore, midseason addition Patrick Beverley is leaving the NBA entirely to sign with Hapoel Tel Aviv BC in Israel.
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These departures clear the way for the Bucks to address their woes from last season by getting more athletic. Instead of trading their picks to drafting veterans, Horst and Co. selected two 19-year-olds — AJ Johnson (23rd pick) and Tyler Smith (33rd pick) — to continue establishing a young core already headlined by Andre Jackson Jr., A.J. Green and MarJon Beauchamp.
With many NBA teams already committing cap space to rangy wings and plenty lacking the cap space to sign him, Gary Trent Jr. found himself the odd man out in free agency this year, ultimately landing a one-year, ‘prove it’ deal so he can reenter free agency next summer — theoretically, having shown the world what he’s capable of on an Eastern Conference contender. He led the Toronto Raptors in 3-pointers made and steals last season.
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