Connaughton has been a solid rotational wing for the Bucks for several years, and he played a vital role in their 2021 championship run, particularly after the injury to Donte DiVicenzo. After only hitting 33% of his threes from 2017-2020, Connaughton shot 39% from outside from '20-'22. He even developed the ability to shoot off-the-catch without dipping the ball, allowing him to get shots off faster. Unfortunately, he has only hit 34% of his threes the last two seasons, and has overall become less productive and a less reliable role player. Even when he hasn't shot well from outside, Connaughton has been pretty efficient due to him never taking midrange shots and finishing well at the rim when he gets there. His 60.2% eFG% in '21-'22 was in the 93rd percentile for his position, according to Cleaning the Glass. However, that seems like an outlier at this point, despite him still shooting decently at the rim. He also has even started screening for Giannis at times, and has had success making plays as the roll man or popping out in that scenario. Connaughton rebounds well for his position on both ends of the court, and while his athleticism is overstated by his infamous combine vertical, he is still a good athlete. He crashes often from the corner to get offensive rebounds. He has lost a bit of a step athletically as he has aged into his 30s, and his rebounding rate has dipped a bit. If that continues to dip as he ages, it becomes one fewer reason to keep him on the court. Connaughton isn't an elite defender, and has benefitted from playing next to better defenders in Milwaukee, but he has some quickness and enough strength to guard multiple positions. He isn't disruptive, posting below-average steal and block rates. Connaughton has shown he can be a solid rotation player, but he has not been trending in the right direction with his play the last couple seasons. If he continues to decline, he could be someone that is on the fringes of a rotation.

Connaughton has a $9.5 million player option for '25-'26, and if he declines that option he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $18.1 million cap hold and full Bird Rights, meaning the Bucks will have no restrictions on re-signing him. Since the Bucks will most likely be operating over the cap, and because his cap hold is greater than his expected starting salary, his cap hold is not really relevant. Due to the Bucks' luxury tax concerns, Connaughton could also end up opting out and taking less now but more money over a long-term contract, similar to what Jrue Holiday and the Celtics did in 2024. For other teams, if Connaughton demands a starting salary of more than the full $14.1 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him, unless a sign-and-trade is worked out, or an opt-in-and-trade. It's likely however that Connaughton could be had for the full MLE or slightly less, especially if it's on a long-term contract.

Gary Harris (2-1 years, $14 million, 2024) Nic Batum (1+1 years, $10 million, 2024) Cody Martin (4-1 years, $31 million, 2022)