2018 NBA free agency grades: Bucks land Pat Connaughton

The Milwaukee Bucks made what may be their final signing of the 2018 NBA offseason, adding shooter Pat Connaughton to their wing rotation.

The Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2018 NBA offseason as they entered the 2017 offseason, with limited resources and the need to try something different. With new head coach Mike Budenholzer in the fold, the organization needed to find smaller moves that would boost this team’s ceiling.

Adding shooters in the frontcourt will give the Bucks a dimension they have not had in recent years, and both Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova are proven veterans with a variety of things to offer the Bucks on both ends of the court. Letting Jabari Parker walk in free agency should also help this team’s spacing and defense, as his minutes will be soaked up by better perimeter shooters and defenders.

Those combinations of moves filled up the roster, but one such player in Brandon Jennings was on a non-guaranteed contract. With Eric Bledsoe projected to start at the point, Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova in line to provide minutes off the bench at the 1, and former Duke point guard Trevon Duval signed to a two-way contract, the team simply did not need another point guard.

In waiving Jenningsm the Bucks open up a roster spot, and they targeted one of the best remaining free agents in former Portland Trail Blazers wing Pat Connaughton. Connaughton, 25, will join the Bucks as another bench wing option.

Connaughton was a part of a number of successful teams at Notre Dame, then joined Portland in 2015 as a second round draft selection. Step by step he carved out a rotation spot on the Blazers as a reliable bench wing, emerging as an every-day player last season for the 49-win team. Primarily a spot-up shooter, Connaughton took 53 percent of his shots from beyond the arc last season.

His overall numbers were pedestrian, as he averaged just 5.4 points per game and hit 35.2 percent of his shots from long range. But his reliability and durability — he played in all 86 games including the postseason for Portland — are something this Bucks team craves after dealing with injuries to every part of the rotation last season.

Pat Connaughton looks the part of an NBA player, passing the eye test when on the court. He moves with purpose, executes the offense and cuts into open space. His form is crisp even if it hasn’t gone in at an elite rate. Defensively he has the tools to be at least average, and on the Bucks should have more insulation than the backcourt defenders he was paired with in Portland.

The exact terms of the contract are not yet clear, but it was reported that it was a two-year contract worth slightly more than the minimum. NBA cap expert Keith Smith expects the Bucks to be squeezing every penny out of their cap exceptions.

This signing should keep Connaughton at a low price for both this season and next, when the Bucks could see a number of their rotation players turn over as contract run out. If Connaughton delivers on his potential as a dependable wing option, he could be kept around even as the team looks to make moves. He could also be an inexpensive trade chip thrown into a larger transaction.

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With the Bucks looking to open up the floor on offense under Budenholzer, Connaughton should fit right in as another shooting option. His versatility to defend guards and smaller wings should fit him in beside Brogdon, Tony Snell and Sterling Brown. If he can learn from the coaching staff as a part of “Bucks University” and grow into something more, he could beat out the competition and be a part of this team’s postseason run.

Signing a player like Connaughton is a move that makes sense for a Milwaukee team trying to change its fortune. He’s an inexpensive option with the right skill-set for what the Bucks are trying to do, and there is still upside to be tapped. Even if that upside doesn’t hit, he has proven to be a reliable rotation player on a playoff team. The floor is high, and the Bucks could use some dependability.

Connaughton is not going to be an All-Star for the Bucks, but they don’t need him to be. At such a low price, the risk is low that this signing will hurt them in any way. If he can be relied upon, then this is a good move for the Bucks. Signing him for two years gives them a second year locked in at a low price if he does develop into something more.

Not every move is a swing for the fences, and Connaughton represents a solid single for the Bucks (pardon my cross-sport metaphor). Replacing the largely redundant Brandon Jennings with a shooting wing is the right kind of move for the new-look Bucks to make.

Grade: B