Gary Trent Jr.’s next deal in Milwaukee may be getting a lot bigger than anyone expected.
After passing on a relatively modest $3.9MM player option for 2026/27, Trent has started to build momentum in conversations with the Bucks on a new contract, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. League sources told Afseth that one framework on the table is a four-year deal worth $68MM.
That kind of number stands out because Trent hasn’t exactly been putting up eye-popping production in Milwaukee. He’s been on the veteran’s minimum, or just a bit above it, over his first two seasons with the Bucks, and last season was a step back. His scoring fell to 8.1 points per game, and he shot just .387/.360/.769, numbers that sat well below his career marks.
Still, there’s another layer here. When Trent signed with Milwaukee in 2024, the feeling around the league was that he was already taking less than he could have gotten.
He later agreed to 20% above the minimum in 2025 using his Non-Bird rights. Now the Bucks have his Early Bird rights, which give them room to offer a more meaningful raise, and the front office may feel an obligation to make up for that discount.
Even so, if the price really climbs anywhere near the figure Afseth mentioned, the back end of that contract would be a tough sell as a fully guaranteed commitment.
Elsewhere in the East, Andrew Wiggins’ new contract with Miami comes with an important detail. Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald notes that the veteran forward will still be trade-eligible after signing a two-year, $34MM extension on top of his $30.2MM salary for 2026/27. A league source told Chiang, though, that the Heat intend to keep Wiggins on the roster heading into the 2026/27 season.
Brooklyn’s Nolan Traore will miss Summer League action after undergoing a knee scope, Nets general manager Sean Marks said, via tweets from Erik Slater of ClutchPoints. That means the second-year guard won’t be available for the California Classic or the Las Vegas Summer Leagues next month. The rest of the Nets’ five 2025 first-round picks are expected to play.
And in Indiana, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said Tyrese Haliburton’s recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered last June is still “on schedule,” while also making it clear the team is taking the long view. Haliburton is “anxious to get back,” Buchanan said, but he also warned against expecting an instant return to form. By the time preseason arrives, Haliburton will have been away from NBA game action for more than 15 months.
“You’re away from the game for as long as he’ll be away once he steps back on the court, it’s not going to be instantly back to Tyrese,” Buchanan said. “I think we all have to have some grace with him.
He knows that’s going to be part of his recovery that, ‘I’m not going to be myself instantly.’ You may see some ups and downs with him as the season starts.”
In Other News...
Bucks Just Made A Telling Ousmane Dieng Decision
The Bucks offseason roster sorting has already produced one noteworthy wrinkle with Ousmane Dieng, a player Milwaukee acquired in February and then used in a meaningful rotation role down the stretch. Dieng gave the team size, flexibility and enough playmaking to merit a longer look, and his run in Milwaukee included 30 games and 20 starts as the front office weighed how he fit into the next version of the roster.
Milwaukee ultimately passed on the qualifying offer, a move that clears the path for a more open market while still leaving the door ajar for a return if the sides can find common ground. For a team trying to balance short-term competitiveness with long-term upgrades, it is the kind of decision that says plenty about the Bucks priorities even before the rest of the summer business starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Offseason Reset Takes Another Intriguing Turn
The Bucks offseason reset keeps adding layers, and the latest one points back to both the franchises past and the staff Taylor Jenkins is building now. Milwaukee is planning to bring former NBA point guard T.J. Ford onto the coaching staff, a move that fits a summer in which the front office has kept leaning into fresh voices, fresh talent and a broader reshaping of the roster and bench around the new direction.
At the same time, the team spent part of the week introducing lottery picks Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, with general manager Jon Horst explaining how their games fit what Milwaukee wanted, while Kasparas Jakucionis talked through the adjustment after his trade to the Bucks. Luke Travers is also slated to join the Bucks Summer League group, adding another name to a crowded stretch of evaluation as Milwaukee keeps sorting out what this next version of the team is supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]
The Bucks May Not Be Done Saying Goodbye Yet
Even after the roster shakeup that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo elsewhere, Milwaukee still looks like a team in the middle of a deeper reset. The Bucks are expected to keep leaning toward younger pieces, but they are also carrying a few veteran names whose value could help them restock the cupboard and create more breathing room as they move toward the 2026-27 season.
Tyler Herro, Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner have all surfaced as the most obvious candidates to move, each for different reasons tied to contract status and trade appeal. Herro and Kuzma both bring immediate marketability as Milwaukee weighs short-term flexibility against long-term asset gathering, and the Detroit Pistons have already been mentioned as a team with interest in Herro. For a Bucks front office trying to map out the next era, the rest of this list may not be done changing just yet. [Read more 🡒]