Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Competitive market for Pat Connaughton?

New developments suggest that the Milwaukee Bucks will have stiff competition in trying to potentially re-sign swingman Pat Connaughton.

After swinging trades for Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Milwaukee Bucks have one of the most star-studded starting fives in the association.

However, it also cost them a substantial portion of their depth in the process, and now the team will have to scour the market for low-cost options to fill out their roster. One such name that fits the bill is Pat Connaughton, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after playing out his two-year, $3.4 million deal with the Bucks.

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Re-signing the 27-year-old seems like a viable option, but recent reports suggest that they might not be alone in trying to pursue him.

Sitting down with Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective Podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that a select few teams with cap room have interest Connaughton before free agency kicks off the Friday:

"“A couple of teams with cap room have asked me about Connaughton in the past two weeks in a way that leads me to believe that they’re not opposed to paying him, not a lot, but enough that cuts deep into the (Bucks’ flexibility.)”"

The intrigue makes sense for a handful of reasons. Connaughton has been a key rotational piece on the best regular season team over the past two years, and his contributions have not gone unnoticed.

Connaughton’s athleticism, defensive versatility, capable floor spacing, and veteran presence make him an eye-catching target for contenders and ascending teams alike. In his two seasons with the Bucks, the guard averaged 6.1 points on a .461/.331/.750 slash line, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.

Lowe noted that this potential interest does not mean a bidding war is in order, but he believes Pat could receive offers more lucrative than the veteran minimum, which obviously puts Milwaukee in a tough spot. The Bucks have their hands tied financially with their star-studded starting five and, if interested, might not be able to extend Connaughton as desirable of an offer as these other teams Lowe has in mind.

While other teams can offer Pat Connaughton a bigger payday, it seems that he might want to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Connaughton found a new home in Milwaukee after signing with the Bucks in the 2018 offseason, and it appears he wants to make that permanent. As he told SB Nation’s Michael Pina earlier this year:

"“I want to continue to be part of the Milwaukee Bucks as a championship contender, and I want to continue to help my team eventually win a championship, two, three, four, whatever it is. What my contract looks like while I’m doing that? If it was more money and more guaranteed years, absolutely, I’d love that. But as long as I’m here, as long as I’m playing, as long as I’m doing my job to continue to be an NBA player, a dream that I wanted to accomplish since I was a kid, it’s quite possible I make more money outside of basketball than I do in basketball when it’s all said and done.”"

Regardless of the interest that he could gauge on the free agent market, it appears that Connaughton wants to remain with the Bucks. If he is indeed willing to take another team-friendly deal to stay put in Milwaukee, he could be a viable option to help fill out one of the many roster spots that are currently vacant.

Only time will tell how the Milwaukee Bucks feel about Pat Connaughton, and with free agency kicking off Friday, a decision could be coming soon.