NBA free agent Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday. The 25-year-old Duke basketball player will almost certainly make less money than he would have made if he had opted out of his final year with the Toronto Raptors when his valuation was at its peak last summer.
See also: Former Blue Devil Seth Curry signs contract to stay in hometown
Despite his scoring dropping from 17.4 points per game in 2022-23 to 13.7 points last season and his positive reception from the local media seemingly disappearing altogether, some numbers suggest Trent could be an impact player for a championship-contending team, which would increase his value next summer, and he should get that opportunity in Milwaukee.
As ESPN's Matt Williams points out in the post below, only four NBA players have made at least 500 3-pointers and recorded at least 300 steals since the start of the 2021-22 season. Gary Trent Jr. is one of them, along with Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Fred VanVleet.
Gary Trent Jr. is one of four players to record at least 500 three-pointers and 300 steals in each of the past three seasons.
Other players:
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Halliburton
Fred VanVleet https://t.co/RBnb8jo0Mj— Matt Williams (@StatsWilliams) July 16, 2024
Additionally, while Trent's scoring average in 2023-24 is his lowest in four years, it marks his fourth consecutive year averaging double figures in points per game.
Other NBA Blue Devils who have been in Milwaukee recently
Early last season, Milwaukee hired one of Gary Trent Jr.'s Duke basketball teammates, center Marquez Bolden, on a two-way contract. But Bolden played just two games for the Bucks in 2023-24 before being released in January.
Former franchise NBA Blue Devil and hard-shooting guard Grayson Allen was traded to the Phoenix Suns in September after being a starter in two seasons with Milwaukee, where he led the league in 3-point shooting percentage and had the best season of his career.
