{
  "id": 9368523,
  "title": "The NBA’s next cap circumvention investigation is even more baffling than the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/the-nbas-next-cap-circumvention-investigation-is-even-more-baffling",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T16:07:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SB Nation",
    "slug": "sb-nation",
    "url": "https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1129736/milwaukee-bucks-gary-trent-nba-cap-circumvention-investigation-penalty-clippers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Milwaukee Bucks are under investigation by the NBA for potential cap circumvention as they prepare to re-sign Gary Trent Jr. According to a report by The Athletic, the Bucks signed Trent to a four-year, $64 million deal, despite the player's declining performance and the team's lack of need for him. Trent's market value was higher than the contracts he signed with the Bucks in the previous two seasons, suggesting a wink-wink agreement between Trent's agent, Rich Paul, and the Bucks. The Bucks' investigation could result in a punishment similar to that of the Los Angeles Clippers, who were fined $22.9 million and stripped of five future first-round picks for violating the salary cap to sign Kawhi Leonard.",
  "summary": "The Milwaukee Bucks were already set to endure some rough years after finally trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat over the summer. A new NBA investigation into potential cap circumvention to re-sign a role player from the late stages of the Antetokounmpo era threatens to make Milwaukee’s rebuild even more difficult. The NBA quietly […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}