A few days after the official start of NBA free agency this summer, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers flew from his Los Angeles-area home to Miami for a recruiting visit. After the initial flurry of signings around the league were complete, Rivers was surprised to see a familiar face without a team -- shooting guard Gary Trent Jr.
Trent had known Rivers since he was 6 years old thanks to his father, Gary Trent Sr., whose NBA career overlapped with Rivers'. Trent Jr. had been a productive player with the Toronto Raptors for three and a half seasons but failed to reach an extension or find a multiyear deal on the free agent market.