NBA launches investigation into controversial free agent signing

There has been suspicion that the Bucks’ contract with Trent is compensation for two low-value contracts he had accepted previously. Trent signed for the league minimum in 2024, then re-signed a year later for $3.7 million annually. That second contract seemed below market value, but it established Trent’s Bird rights, meaning the Bucks could go over the cap to re-sign him this offseason. Essentially, the NBA is looking into whether Trent agreed to two below-market contracts with a promise from the Bucks that he would be taken care of once league rules allowed it.

Trent shot 41.6 percent from three in his first season with Milwaukee, but averaged just 8.1 points per game while shooting 36 percent from three last season. Those are not the kind of numbers that usually get players a significant raise.

This would be very similar to what the Minnesota Timberwolves did with Joe Smith in 1999. In that instance, the league came down hard on Minnesota by voiding Smith’s contract and docking the Timberwolves multiple first-round draft picks.