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.”
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