The Milwaukee Bucks have once again been eliminated early from the postseason. The Bucks were the higher seed again, but they could not go past the First Round of the NBA Playoffs for the second straight season, even with the addition of superstar point guard Damian Lillard to bolster the outstanding tandem of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
For a minimum of another two seasons, Milwaukee’s core trio will remain together. However, given the lack of effort from backup players, Bucks supporters must question whether this club will be able to capitalize once more on Giannis’ championship window. Now that the offseason has begun, the Milwaukee front management needs to assemble the ideal group of players to go with the Greek Freak. This Bucks club might seem very different come fall after his team’s disappointment last season. If the Bucks want to contend for a title in 2024, they need to trade for this guy in the NBA summer.
Connaughton Pat
It has long been unclear how much Pat Connaughton is worth to the Milwaukee Bucks. After the wing signed a three-year, $28.5 million contract deal in the summer of 2022, it appeared that the veteran would be the odd man out in this crowded backcourt offseason. However, the Bucks chose to keep the wing. Prior to this season’s deadline, he appeared to be a viable trade candidate as well.
Connaughton was a solid defender in the past, but his rating has been slowly declining. It went from 104 in 2019–20 to 113 last year to a career-worst 118 this year. The 31-year-old’s offensive output has fallen short of what his defensive shortcomings require. Out of all the Bucks players who have played at least 200 minutes this season, Connaughton has the second-worst three-point percentage (34.5%), only behind Giannis. His 3.1 rebounds per game were the lowest in his career while wearing a Bucks uniform, while his 5.6 points per game were also the lowest since joining Milwaukee in 2018–19.
Connaughton’s output again declined in the postseason. The veteran shot 3-11 (27.3%) from beyond the arc, but his average was only 4.5 points per game. Connaughton’s reluctance to shoot from beyond during the postseason was apparent, even for a player who tried slightly more than three three-pointers per game during the regular season — particularly while he was playing 20 minutes per game.
Milwaukee needs to create floor spacing around Giannis Antetokounmpo even more now that Jae Crowder, Patrick Beverley, and sharpshooter Malik Beasley are all set to join free agency. It is time for Milwaukee to part ways with a player who has played the last six years of his career in the Cream City because Connaughton has obviously lost ground defensively and has little effect on the offensive end of the court.
The sixth-largest cap hit of any player currently on the Bucks roster, Connaughton’s 2024–25 salary hit is $9.4 million. He also has a player option for the 2025–26 campaign. Moving that kind of contract will be difficult for the 31-year-old, but it would bring the Bucks closer to being exempt from the luxury tax. To swap Connaughton for a younger player on a lesser deal, Milwaukee would probably need to add a draft pick in addition to cash.
The Bucks need to take full advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s championship window this offseason after experiencing yet another disappointing postseason campaign. This entails getting rid of those who are not important and bringing in great role players in their place. Pat Connaughton is one of those athletes that ought to be cut sooner rather than later due to his enormous wage and deteriorating on the court performance.
