The Milwaukee Bucks’ handling of Gary Trent Jr. has turned into one of the NBA’s most closely watched investigations, and the talk around the league is getting louder by the day.
Trent signed a four-year, $64 million deal with Milwaukee after previously being on a minimum contract, and that jump has fueled the suspicion that the Bucks may have crossed a line on cap circumvention. The belief in NBA circles is that Trent accepted less money up front with an under-the-table understanding that a richer deal would come later. Adding to the scrutiny, he has appeared in only three games this season.
On a recent edition of The Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst, Tim McMahon, and Bobby Marks laid out what could be waiting for the Bucks if the NBA comes down hard. Windhorst said general manager John Horst could be in serious trouble.
“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 GM opening as one of the bleakest in years.
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]…
“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 pointed to previous NBA cases as a guide for what the punishment could look like if Milwaukee is found to have violated the rules.
“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 took the concern a step further, saying the fallout could linger 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.”
In Other News...
Blue Jays Just Made A Tough Depth Chart Decision
The Blue Jays have moved on from Peyton Williams, releasing the first baseman and sending him into the market as a minor league free agent. A 2022 seventh-round pick, Williams had reached Triple-A for the first time this season and had flashed the kind of power that can keep a player on the radar even when the rest of the profile is still developing.
His exit also says something about where Toronto stands with its infield depth and roster crunches heading into the offseason. Williams was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, but the Blue Jays never added him to the 40-man roster, leaving him exposed and now available to sign with any club that sees a clearer path for his bat. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Have Found The Power Bat That Changes Everything
The Blue Jays are taking a hard look at Teruaki Sato, the Hanshin Tigers third baseman who was posted for MLB consideration after a huge season in Japan. Satos profile is the kind that naturally draws attention in Toronto, where adding more right-handed thump has been a recurring offseason theme, and his 2025 run only sharpened the appeal. He won Central League MVP honors and claimed the Triple Crown, which is enough to make any front office pause and imagine what that kind of power might look like in the middle of a big-league lineup.
The fit, though, is not as simple as the bat. Sato comes with some strikeout concerns, and the Blue Jays are also weighing how they would use him defensively if they do move forward, since third base is the obvious question hanging over the pursuit. For a club trying to upgrade its offense without creating another roster puzzle, the appeal is obvious, but so is the need to sort out where he would play before any deal becomes real. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Watched The Red Sox Strike First
The Red Sox moved quickly to add some left-handed pop, agreeing to a four-year deal with Jake Bauers after his breakout 2026 season. Bauers posted career highs across several offensive categories and backed it up with strong underlying metrics, giving Boston a bat it believes can fit into the middle of the lineup without asking too much of him in the field.
For Toronto, it is another reminder that Boston is trying to reshape its offense with players who can do damage and still offer some roster flexibility. The plan is to use Bauers mostly as a designated hitter with some first-base duty mixed in, a role that suits his bat even if the glove remains a work in progress, and it gives the Blue Jays one more name to track as the division race keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]