What to make of Pat Connaughton’s departure from the Milwaukee Bucks
Bucks reporter Jim Owczarski discusses the departure of longtime Milwaukee Bucks staple Pat Connaughton
The Milwaukee Bucks traded Pat Connaughton and two future second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets for Vasilije Micić.Connaughton played seven seasons with the Bucks, winning a championship in 2021, and was a fan favorite.Connaughton will reunite with former Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee, now head coach of the Hornets.
The Milwaukee Bucks agreed to trade one of the last holdovers of their 2020-21 NBA championship team in Pat Connaughton to the Charlotte Hornets for veteran point guard Vasilije Micić. The Bucks also dipped into their future draft capital, sending out their 2031 and 2032 second-round draft picks to the Hornets as well.
Connaughton will be reunited with Hornets head coach Charles Lee, who was an assistant on the 2021 title team.
Connaughton, 32, picked up his $9.4 million player option before the 2025 NBA Draft and had been involved in trade talks since last February. A stalwart for the Bucks since signing in 2018, Connaughton did see his role diminish last season under head coach Doc Rivers.
In seven years with the Bucks, Connaughton appeared in 440 games (66 starts) and shot 35.5% from behind the three-point line. A fan favorite in that time, he participated in the 2020 slam dunk contest at the All-Star game and 2024 AmFam Championship celebrity foursome with Andy North. He also became entrenched off the court in the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin through his eponymous foundation that built and refurbished basketball courts, and his privately owned real estate company.
Bucks acquire Vasilije Micić from Hornets
Micić is on his third team in a month, as the Phoenix Suns picked up the 6-foot, 3-inch point guard’s $8.1 million team option to facilitate a trade between the Suns and Hornets for center Mark Williams.
Micić has played just two seasons in the NBA after spending most of his career in Europe, shooting 31% from behind the three-point line in 101 career games for Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Phoenix.