League Probes Contract Legality
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has officially launched an investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks’ four-year, $64 million contract with shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. The league is scrutinizing the deal for potential salary cap circumvention, a spokesperson confirmed on July 16, 2026.
The agreement, finalized earlier this summer, has drawn significant scrutiny due to the disparity between the contract’s value and Trent’s recent on-court performance. The 27-year-old guard averaged 8.1 points per game during the 2025-26 season, his lowest output since his rookie campaign. Despite these figures, the Bucks awarded him a significant raise, prompting rival executives to question whether a prearranged agreement existed to compensate the player for accepting lower salaries in previous years.
The “Handshake” Allegations
Speculation centers on whether the Bucks and Trent’s representatives—Klutch Sports—had a “handshake deal” in place during previous offseasons. Trent signed a league-minimum contract with Milwaukee in 2024 and a modest two-year, $7.5 million deal in 2025. Critics suggest these lower-value contracts allowed the Bucks to build a more competitive roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the understanding that Trent would be rewarded with a lucrative long-term deal once his Early Bird rights were established.
Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, any “prior agreement” that bypasses salary cap regulations is strictly prohibited. While no definitive evidence of a written agreement has been publicized, the league is comparing this situation to the 1999 Minnesota Timberwolves case, where the team was penalized with the loss of three first-round draft picks for an illicit arrangement with Joe Smith.
Stakes for the Bucks
The investigation places the Bucks in a precarious position. The team has already undergone a significant roster overhaul this summer, trading for several players including Tyler Herro and Caris LeVert, while drafting Brayden Burries. A potential voiding of the contract or future sanctions could drastically alter the team’s financial flexibility and long-term roster construction. The league has not provided a timeline for the conclusion of the probe, but the outcome could set a new precedent for how teams leverage Early Bird rights in future free-agency cycles.