It's been a hectic offseason for the Utah Jazz. They decided to part ways with Walker Kessler while also jumping for joy to see Darryn Peterson's talent show itself from the jump. Now, we've got the latest twist in the offseason: Gary Trent Jr. got a massive extension from Milwaukee, even after they've basically started over.
Free agent guard Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hZMDvuA816
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 11, 2026
Once upon a time, Trent was a solid player, but he's not coming off the best season. There isn't one person who understands why Milwaukee did this. There's certainly some speculation of foul play, but that's a bunch of hot air until proven otherwise.
Okay, so what does this have to do with the Jazz? Well, Trent's agent is one Rich Paul. First of all, Paul deserves his flowers for getting his client paid absurdly more than he deserves, but second and more importantly, this could be scary with Paul's clients on the Jazz and what they will likely ask for when they are up for extensions.
The Jazz have two in particular who may ask for that kind of money: Ace Bailey and Isaiah Collier. Now, given Bailey's trajectory, Utah will likely pay him a grand fee no matter who represents him when the time comes. Collier could be different, though. He's kind of been forgotten, but he is the Jazz's backup point guard.
He has his positives and his negatives, but after what Paul just got Trent, Collier may believe he's due a similar pay raise, as, despite his limitations, he's a better player going forward than Trent is. Because Paul has a history of getting his guys paid, this could be a concern for Utah.
Jazz have previously given a bad contract to one of Paul's clients
As much as it hurts to say, the Jazz have given out bad deals to someone represented by Paul: Jordan Clarkson. It's not like it cripples the cap sheet like Trent's does, but it was pretty clear shortly after he agreed to an extension that this was a bad idea for the Jazz. They weren't sure where they were going when it was agreed, but once they figured it out, Clarkson's place on the team made no sense, especially at the cost they paid him.
It was awesome to see Clarkson stick with the team through the thick and thin of a rebuild in Utah, but it was clear he was more of a hindrance than anything else. It got bad enough that it ended with the Jazz simply buying him out, where he both got paid in dead money and won a title.
Collier and Bailey are substantially than Clarkson was when he agreed to his second extension in Utah, but regardless, the Jazz have been burned before when extending Paul's clients. With all that said, that hasn't been the case every time.
Jusuf Nurkic's deal was more than fair
Paul also represents Nurkic, who re-signed with the Jazz on a team-friendly deal of two years and $22 million. That's actually a pretty fair deal when Nurkic had a surprisingly resilient season in Utah. Kessler's departure made the decision look even smarter that they brought back last season's starting center on a team-friendly deal.
So, while Paul can definitely get his clients paid more than what they are worth, as exemplified by both Trent and Clarkson, he knows when a price is fair. That could be a comfort for when Bailey and Collier are up for extensions.
But Trent's new contract immediately being considered among the worst could be trouble if Paul uses that in contract negotiations with his other clientele (like any good agent would). This isn't a problem for the Jazz yet, but it has in the past, and it could be again.
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