The NBA confirmed Monday, November 9, 2026, that it has opened a salary cap circumvention investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks and guard Gary Trent Jr.
The probe focuses on Trent’s four-year, $64 million contract signed in July 2026. He averaged the second-fewest points and second-worst field goal percentage of his career last season. Through early games this season, he had played just 13 minutes.
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Trent previously signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal with Milwaukee. That contract paid him $3.7 million in 2025–26 and granted him early Bird rights — enabling the Bucks to re-sign him above the salary cap. The league’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits prearranged agreements intended to bypass cap rules.
If violations are found, the Bucks could forfeit multiple future first-round draft picks and face suspensions for front-office personnel. Milwaukee currently holds no control over its next four first-round selections. It does own five first-round picks beginning in 2031, two of which came from the Miami Heat.
The Bucks are classified in Tier 1 — the “danger zone” — of Bobby Marks’ newly published NBA core danger tiers, which identifies 19 teams facing major financial and roster-building decisions. Marks attributes Milwaukee’s position not to the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade but to this specific signing during its championship-building phase.
Also in Tier 1 are the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks are projected $15 million below the second apron next season but risk losing reserve guard Miles McBride without a salary-clearing trade. Owner James Dolan’s directive to avoid the second apron will be tested in the 2028 offseason.
The Thunder are projected $21 million over the second apron in 2027–28 — a figure that grows to more than $500 million in total salary and tax obligations when accounting for three first-round picks. They reduced payroll by nearly $200 million this offseason via trades involving Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe.
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