Who Is Gary Trent Jr? The NBA's Most Confusing $64M Deal, His NBA Dad, and What He Actually Brings

▶ View as Web Story

Gary Trent Jr is a 27-year-old shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks and the son of former NBA forward Gary Trent Sr. He's suddenly everywhere because his new fully guaranteed four-year, $64 million contract with Milwaukee — agreed on July 11 — was just labeled one of the four most confusing moves of the NBA offseason by CBS Sports. And here's the first thing to clear up: despite thousands of people searching "Gary Trent Jr trade," he wasn't traded. He re-signed with his own team, for far more money than almost anyone predicted.

The "Trade" Everyone's Confused About (It Wasn't a Trade)

Trent declined his player option with the Bucks in June to become an unrestricted free agent. His camp reportedly explored sign-and-trade scenarios with other teams — which is likely where the "trade" chatter comes from — before he circled back to Milwaukee, which held his Bird rights after two straight seasons there. The result: four years, $64 million, fully guaranteed, no options.

Why are analysts puzzled? Because Trent is coming off the worst season of his career: 8.1 points per game on a career-low 38.7% shooting across 65 games, playing about 21 minutes a night. He'd been on back-to-back minimum contracts, and pre-draft reporting suggested Milwaukee was exploring something closer to three years, $45 million. Instead, a much bigger, fully guaranteed number landed late in free agency — CBS Sports grouped it with a two-year DeAndre Jordan deal among the offseason's biggest head-scratchers. You can follow every signing of the summer in our NBA free agency tracker.

For the record, the last time Trent was actually traded was March 25, 2021, when Portland sent him and Rodney Hood to the Toronto Raptors for Norman Powell.

Who Is Gary Trent Jr?

Born January 18, 1999, in Columbus, Ohio, Trent moved to Apple Valley, Minnesota at age nine and became one of the state's most hyped high school players. He played one season at Duke (2017-18), averaging 14.5 points while hitting 40.2% from three and setting a Duke freshman record with 97 made three-pointers.

• Age: 27 (born January 18, 1999)
• Height: 6'5" (196 cm)
• Position: Shooting guard
• Drafted: No. 37 overall, 2018 (by Sacramento, rights sent to Portland on draft night)
• Teams: Trail Blazers (2018-21), Raptors (2021-24), Bucks (2024-present)

After a quiet rookie year with G League stints, Trent worked his way up to 15 points per game in Portland by his third season. The 2021 trade to Toronto unlocked him: he averaged a career-best 18.3 points in 2021-22 as a full-time starter. When his Raptors deal ran out in 2024, he bet on himself with a veteran-minimum contract in Milwaukee — and stayed on a minimum again the following year.

Like Father, Like Son: Who Is Gary Trent Sr?

The family angle is the best part of this story. Gary Trent Sr. was a bruising 6'8" forward nicknamed "the Shaq of the MAC" at Ohio University, where he won MAC Player of the Year three straight times (1993-95). The Milwaukee Bucks drafted him 11th overall in 1995 and traded him on draft night to Portland for Shawn Respert.

Over nine NBA seasons (1995-2004), Trent Sr. played for the Trail Blazers, Raptors, Mavericks and Timberwolves, peaking with Dallas in 1998-99 at 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Now look at the mirror image: Dad was drafted by Milwaukee, then played in Portland and Toronto. Son started in Portland, broke out in Toronto — and just got paid $64 million by Milwaukee. The Trent family has come full circle with the Bucks, 31 years apart.

Off the court, Trent Jr. keeps things quiet. He has three younger brothers — Garyson, Grayson and Graydon — and, as of this writing, no publicly confirmed relationship; he simply doesn't share his dating life.

His Game: Career High, Shooting and That Playoff Eruption

At his best, Trent is a movement shooter with sneaky-quick hands defensively. His career high is 44 points, scored for Toronto against Cleveland on April 10, 2021 — on an absurd 17-of-19 from the field with seven threes. In the 2025 playoffs against Indiana, he exploded for 37 points with nine three-pointers in Game 3, tying a Bucks franchise record for threes in a playoff game.

That's the player Milwaukee is paying for. The problem is the 2025-26 version: 8.1 points on 38.7% shooting and 36% from three, with defensive metrics that graded poorly across the board. Even his season-high 36-point night against the Clippers in March couldn't mask a clear down year.

Salary and Contract: The $64 Million Question

The new deal reportedly pays Trent around $15.2 million in year one and runs through the 2029-30 season, fully guaranteed with no team or player options. For a player who earned roughly the minimum in each of the past two seasons, it's a life-changing jump — and in a summer where Cleveland handed Donovan Mitchell a $273 million max (see our Donovan Mitchell story), it's Trent's mid-sized contract that has league observers asking the most questions.

What's Next?

Milwaukee is betting on the playoff version of Trent — the one who tied a franchise record from deep — showing up next to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a full season. If his shooting rebounds to his Toronto levels, the deal looks defensible. If last season was the new normal, this contract will be brought up every trade deadline for the next four years. Either way, the kid who grew up watching his dad battle through nine NBA seasons is now, by total guaranteed money, the biggest earner in Trent family history.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)