3. Pat Connaughton
Pat Connaughton, the athletic wing out of Notre Dame, failed to make his mark in his first two seasons in the NBA. Last summer there was talk that he would leave the game behind and pursue a baseball career. However, the team guaranteed his contract for the season, still seeing potential in what he can offer the team.
Connaughton has since received a bigger role on the team. He went from averaging 6.3 minutes per game in his first two seasons to 19.5 in 2017-18. With 58 appearances and five starts, Connaughton is averaging 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He’s also shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range.
Those numbers obviously won’t wow anybody, and he has scored double-digits in only 12 games this season. However, his energy off of the bench, 3-point shooting efficiency and ability to catch an alley-oop on-demand have made him invaluable to the team.
Restricted free agency awaits Pat Connaughton this summer. The Blazers are up against the salary cap, so there are a number of avenues the team could take to reform the roster and cut costs.
They would have to pay at least a $1.8 million qualifying offer in order to retain Connaughton’s services. If he enters the second half making his normal contributions at a slightly higher volume, the front office might not have a problem giving him a new deal.