The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly under investigation over the four-year, $64 million contract they handed Gary Trent Jr. this offseason.
The NBA has hired law firm Hecker Fink to investigate whether Milwaukee circumvented salary-cap rules through its agreements with Trent over the past three offseasons, according to The Athletic.
At the center of the investigation is Trent’s dramatic jump in salary and whether there was a previous handshake agreement between the two sides.
The league is reportedly looking into whether Trent agreed to take significantly smaller contracts with Milwaukee in each of the previous two offseasons in exchange for the understanding that he would eventually receive a much larger deal.
Trent made just $2.6 million during his first season with the Bucks before returning on a $3.7 million deal last season. That changed dramatically in July when Milwaukee agreed to pay him $64 million over four years, giving him an average annual salary of $16 million.
The new contract also came after Trent averaged 8.1 points per game last season, his lowest scoring mark since his rookie year.
Questions surrounding the deal emerged almost immediately after it was announced, with reports initially indicating the NBA was looking into the circumstances surrounding the contract. That has now reportedly developed into a full investigation.
The NBA, Bucks and Trent’s agency, Klutch Sports, all declined to comment when contacted about the investigation, according to The Athletic.
Milwaukee and Klutch are both cooperating with the league while the investigation takes place, according to the same report.
The situation comes shortly after the NBA concluded another salary-cap circumvention investigation involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.
While the circumstances are different, the Clippers investigation showed how seriously the league can punish teams if violations are established. Los Angeles was stripped of five future first-round picks, while owner Steve Ballmer received a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension.
For now, no wrongdoing by Milwaukee or Trent has been established.
The NBA’s investigation will determine whether Trent’s previous contracts were independent agreements or part of a longer-term arrangement that allowed Milwaukee to retain him cheaply before rewarding him with his new $64 million deal.