The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to be found guilty of allegedly signing Gary Trent Jr. to a contract circumventing the NBA salary cap.
When the Bucks announced they had re-signed Trent to a four-year, $64 million free-agent contract coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, it immediately raised eyebrows around the league.
The NBA then began an investigation into the deal, and although Trent is healthy and on the Bucks’ active roster, he has only played in three games for the Bucks, raising further eyebrows at his huge contract extension.
It’s why league insiders believe the Bucks will be found guilty and face punishment for circumventing the salary cap.
Bucks Expected to be Found Guilty of Cap Circumvention
According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst on “The Hoop Collective” podcast, the Bucks are expected to be found guilty of cap circumvention for the Trent contract.
“Everybody in the league expects a guilty finding… If they are found guilty, there are going to be draft picks stripped and people suspended indefinitely,” Windhorst said.
“Everybody in the league expects a guilty finding… If they are found guilty, there are going to be draft picks stripped and people suspended indefinitely.”
(h/t @TheNBABase)
Pressure on NBA to Punish Bucks
With the NBA severely punishing the Los Angeles Clippers for the Kawhi Leonard contract that circumvented the salary cap, there is pressure on the league to also punish Milwaukee for the Trent deal.
When Trent signed his contract this offseason, it immediately raised suspicion since he was coming off one of his worst seasons, averaging 8.1 points on .387 shooting last season for Milwaukee.
So, giving him a long-term deal for big money made no sense, unless there was some sort of side agreement in place where he would play with Milwaukee on minimum contracts before the team had the ability to pay him back in the future.
At this point, the investigation is still ongoing, and no punishment has been handed down yet. But based on what Windhorst said, things are not looking good for Milwaukee right now, which could face severe punishments, including the loss of draft picks and fines for this Trent contract if, as expected, it is found to have been a contract that circumvented the NBA salary cap.
Bucks Expected to Be Found Guilty in Gary Trent Jr. Investigation