This Milwaukee Bucks They entered the offseason determined to improve their roster. The problem was that they had no salary cap space to work with. Being in the second tier of the NBA’s luxury tax meant that the only free agents they could sign were players who would accept veteran minimum contracts. That left general manager Jon Horst with the arduous task of convincing good players to take less money in exchange for a chance to compete for an NBA championship.
And did Horst ever do it! 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 who will work with stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. named team’s X-factor for 2024-25 NBA season
While all three free agents signed by Milwaukee are expected to make significant impacts for the team this year, Trent has an opportunity to improve his free agent position next season by playing well as a shooting guard for the Bucks.
His ability to fit in well with the rest of Milwaukee’s starting rotation will have a huge impact on the Bucks’ success in 2024-25, which is why Grant Hughes The Tribune Report called Trent the team’s biggest X-factor in the upcoming season.
“An absolute free agent steal, Gary Trent Jr. gives the Milwaukee Bucks their fifth starter for the price of their 14th player. The wins on the books don’t count as much as the ones on the court. If Trent can’t give the struggling Bucks a chance in the highest-stakes scenario he’s ever seen as a pro, no one will remember what a bargain he was.”
“That will start on defense, where Trent must prove he is more than an opportunistic pass rusher. Steals are valuable, and Trent has averaged at least 1.0 steals per game in that area 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 will be key to the Bucks’ success. Later in his explanation, he predicts that Trent will be tasked with guarding each opponent’s highest scoring wing or guard.
This is something Malik Beasley did not do consistently last year and it ultimately cost him his free agent spot this year.
Will Gary Trent Jr. do better than Malik Beasley with the Milwaukee Bucks?
Beasley signed with the Bucks last offseason for the same reasons Trent signed with them this year: he signed a veteran minimum contract so he could start working and hope for a bigger payday in free agency when the season ends.
Now Beasley has done a lot of great things for Milwaukee. His 224 three-point attempts last season were the second-most in franchise history, behind Ray Allen’s 229 in 2001-02. His 41.3 percent three-point shooting was a career high and led the team.
But Beasley has fallen miniature of expectations defensively, often being overwhelmed by opposing shooters and being benched at the end of close games in favor of players with more defensive prowess.
The Detroit Pistons ultimately signed Beasley this offseason to a $6 million, one-year contract. While that’s more than the minimum wage for the veteran, it’s likely not the bigger payday he was expecting.
Trenta could suffer a similar fate if it cannot provide better defense.
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