The Milwaukee Bucks set about the offseason determined to improve their roster. The problem was that they had no salary cap space to work with. Being in the second apron of the NBA luxury tax meant that the only free agents they could sign would be players that accepted veteran minimum deals. This left general manager Jon Horst with the difficult challenge of convincing quality players to take less money in exchange for the opportunity to compete for an NBA Championship.
And did Horst ever deliver! The Bucks’ general manager was able to sign three very high-quality free agents this offseason: point guard Delon Wright, forward Taurean Prince, and shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. All three are above-average three-point shooters that will mesh will with stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Milwaukee Bucks Guard Gary Trent Jr. Named Team’s X-Factor for the 2024-25 NBA Season
While all three of Milwaukee’s free agent signees are expected to have a significant impact on the team this year, Trent has the opportunity to drive his stock up on the free agent market next season by playing well as the Bucks’ starting shooting guard.
His ability to fit in well with the rest of Milwaukee’s starting rotation is going to be a huge factor in how successful the Bucks are in 2024-25, which is why Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report named Trent as the team’s biggest X-factor this upcoming season.
“An absolute heist of a free-agent signing, Gary Trent Jr. gives the Milwaukee Bucks a fifth starter at a 14th-man price. Wins in the financial ledger don’t count like the ones earned on the floor, though. If Trent doesn’t deliver for the contending Bucks in the highest-stakes scenario he’s ever seen as a pro, nobody will remember what a bargain he was.
“That’ll start on defense, where Trent must prove he’s more than an opportunistic passing-lane jumper. Steals are valuable, and Trent has produced in that area by averaging at least 1.0 theft per game in each of the last four seasons, peaking at 1.7 in 2021-22 with the Toronto Raptors.”
As Hughes notes, Trent’s ability to play above-average defense is going to be paramount to the Bucks’ success. Later in his explanation, he predicts that it will be Trent who is tasked with guarding every opponent’s highest scoring wing or guard.
This was something that Malik Beasley failed to do on a consistent basis last year, and it ended up costing him in free agency this year.
Will Gary Trent Jr. Fare Better with the Milwaukee Bucks than Malik Beasley?
Beasley signed with the Bucks last offseason for the same reasons Trent signed with them this year. That is, he signed a veteran minimum deal so that he could have a starting job and hopefully earn a bigger payday in free agency when the season was over.
Now, Beasley did do a lot of great things for Milwaukee. His 224 made three pointers last season were the second-most in franchise history, behind only Ray Allen’s 229 during the 2001-02 season. His 41.3% three-point percentage was a career-high and led the team.
However, Beasley did not meet expectations on defense. He was often overwhelmed by opponents’ scorers and was benched late in close games in favor of players with more defensive prowess.
The Detroit Pistons ended up signing Beasley this offseason for $6 million on a one-year deal. While that is more than the veteran minimum, it is likely not the bigger payday he was expecting.
Trent could experience a similar fate if he cannot provide better defense.
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