The NBA’s investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks and Gary Trent Jr. has turned into one of the league’s biggest talking points, and the potential fallout could be severe.
Trent signed a 4-year, $64 million deal with Milwaukee after previously being on a minimum contract, and that jump has fueled chatter around NBA circles that the Bucks may have crossed the line on cap circumvention. The belief, as it’s been discussed around the league, is that Trent accepted a smaller salary with an under-the-table understanding that a bigger payday would come later. Adding to the scrutiny, Trent has barely been on the floor this season, appearing in just three games.
On a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst, Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks laid out what could be waiting for Milwaukee if the league comes down hard. Windhorst said Bucks general manager John Horst could be in line for a suspension.
Brian Windhorst and Bobby Marks on the NBA's investigation of Gary Trent Jr.'s $64 million free agent deal with the Bucks 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 11, 2026
"I'll just put it this way. Everybody in the league expects a guilty finding in Gary Trent. If that doesn't happen, it will be an upset."
"If [the Bucks]…
“I don’t want anybody to lose their job, but John Horst is facing a disaster situation with this team where he might be getting suspended. That’s what I’m saying.”
Windhorst also said the expectation around the league is that the Bucks will be found guilty, and he described the possible general manager vacancy as one of the bleakest in years.
“Everybody in the league expects a guilty finding in Gary Trent. If that doesn’t happen, it will be an upset, okay? So it could be potentially the worst general manager opening in decades.”
Marks connected the situation to previous league cases, saying the punishment could reach beyond fines and into draft capital and personnel discipline.
“If we’re going on past precedent, and we can go back to Minnesota with Joe Smith, and we can go back to the Clippers stuff from this summer, if they are found guilty, there are going to be draft picks stripped, and people are going to be suspended indefinitely for a long time here.”
McMahon went even further, saying the consequences could leave Milwaukee stuck with the damage for years.
“You call this the danger zone. I call this hell.
What happens if hell freezes over? It’s a Milwaukee NBA season for the next five or six years.
That’s what happens.”
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