Bucks News: Gary Trent Explains Why He Took a Huge Pay Cut for Milwaukee

Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Gary Trent explains why he took a pay cut to sign with the Bucks.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Veteran swingman Gary Trent Jr. opted to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason on a low-cost one-year deal. The 25-year-old chose to join the Bucks instead on a short-term deal rather than try and get a more lucrative deal with another team in free agency.

Trent is set to make $2.6 million this season with the Bucks, a far cry from the three-year, $51.88 million contract he played for when he signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2021. For Trent, the deal is worth it so he can get the opportunity to play alongside two greats in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, both perennial All-Stars.

“It’s a great opportunity. I’m 25, and I still have years left to grow,” Trent said in an interview with Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda. “This is a great place to find a home base and be part of something long-term. It’s an excellent organization with great players, a solid front office, and good energy, so it’s been great so far.”

Trent is also chasing his dream of winning a championship, something he has not come close to in his career so far. He has played in the postseason just twice before coming to Milwaukee, a team that has made the playoffs each of the last eight years.

“I’m here to win a championship. Everything I do is going to be about helping this team reach that goal.”

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Trent previously played alongside Lillard on the Portland Trail Blazers, where he began his career and spent three years with. He reunites with Lillard and joins Antetokounmpo on the Bucks, as well as head coach Doc Rivers, who Trent has known since he was eight years old.

“I get to play with two players who are in the top 75 in NBA history,” Trent told Afseth. “Their approach to the game every night can only uplift everybody around them and put a certain focus on their mindset. It’s about rolling with that and figuring it out together.”

Trent should serve as another key player on the Bucks' roster as they try to advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2022 this year. Trent has averaged double-digit points over each of the last five seasons, averaging 13.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game last season.

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