The Warriors are locked in a tightly-contested first-round series against the Houston Rockets in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, but the franchise’s general manager Mike Dunleavy could already be looking ahead to the offseason to plan his course of action for free agency.
Golden State transformed into a true title contender after their mid-season acquisition of Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and the team’s front office may believe that a potentially underrated summer signing could help to launch the group towards the top of the West in 2025-26.
It’s plausible to believe that the Warriors could extend a contract offer to the Milwaukee Bucks’ soon-to-be free agent shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. this summer, especially after his magnificent three-point shooting display in Milwaukee’s 117-101 victory in Game 3 of their first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
“When the dust settled, the seventh-year shooting guard had 37 points, nine threes, and four steals, all playoff career-highs for him,” SBNation’s Finley Kuehl wrote Saturday.
“With his nine makes, Trent matched Ray Allen’s franchise record for most threes in a playoff game.”
“Overall, it was one of the best postseason performances from a Bucks role player ever.”
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Trent Jr.’s unbelievable 37-point night has given the Bucks a puncher’s chance of coming out of their series against Indiana alive, as they now trail 2-1 thanks to the 26-year-old’s heroics.
The former No. 37 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings knocked down nine of his 12 attempts from long-range in just 34 minutes of action on Friday, a box score figure that may have done plenty to pique the interest of Dunleavy and his front office staff.
In 74 regular season appearances with Milwaukee in 2024-25, Trent Jr. proved to be one of the NBA’s elite three-point threats by connecting on 41.6% of his attempts. He also contributed 11.1 points and 1.0 steals in only 25.6 minutes.
As a prospective free agent signing by Golden State this summer, there would be little concern regarding his fit alongside 4-time NBA champion Stephen Curry and under head coach Steve Kerr.
If called on to join Curry and ex-Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler for the 2025-26 season and beyond, he could serve as an excellent option on drive-and-kick opportunities created by the fearsome duo.
While it’s fun to imagine a shooter of Trent Jr.’s caliber being integrated into the Warriors’ nightly rotation, a wonderful 2024-25 campaign and epic playoff performance could cause a vast market to develop for the talented guard come free agency.
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