The Milwaukee Bucks have addressed their shooting guard position by signing Gary Trent Jr. to a one-year deal, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Trent, who averaged 13.7 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals with the Toronto Raptors last season, brings a much-needed long-range threat to the Bucks with his 39% shooting from beyond the arc.
The terms of the contract have not been disclosed, but if Trent signed for the veteran’s minimum, he could be looking at a $2.8 million deal. This would be a significant pay cut from his player option of $18.6 million last season. The Raptors were willing to re-sign him for $15 million before ultimately moving on.
According to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, Trent was initially seeking a contract in the $25 million range, which proved to be a misread of the market. Despite his proficiency as a 3-point shooter, his overall game has yet to reach its full potential.
With the Bucks unable to use a midlevel exception due to being above the second tax apron, they faced competition from the Los Angeles Lakers for Trent’s services. Trent will be reuniting with Damian Lillard, his former teammate on the Portland Trail Blazers, where he shot 40% from beyond the arc.
The addition of Trent allows the Bucks to keep Khris Middleton at small forward, where he has excelled for the past eight seasons. Middleton, who averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game last season, also shot 38% from 3-point range.
In addition to Trent, the Bucks have also added Delon Wright and Taurean Prince to bolster their backcourt and wing defense, respectively. There is no update on the status of Patrick Beverley, who recently announced his intention to play in Israel next season.