Bucks Officially Trade NBA Champion Wing to East Squad

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Connaughton signed with the Bucks for the 2018-19 season after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.

He emerged as a valuable rotation player for the Bucks and was part of their NBA championship team in 2021, averaging at least 20 minutes per game in five of seven seasons on the team.

This season, Connaughton averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 41 games. He also played in three playoff games for the Bucks, averaging two points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Connaughton initally opted into his $9.4 million player option with the Bucks for the 2025-26 season. Now that Milwaukee has parted ways with him, they are off the hook for his salary.

Meanwhile, Micic has only played two seasons in the NBA and has not had much stability on a specific team. He has played for four different teams since the 2023-24 season.

Micic, who averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season, started the 2024-25 season with the Hornets. Charlotte traded him to the Phoenix Suns at the deadline then got him back at the end of June in exchange for center Mark Williams.

Milwaukee is reportedly planning to buy out Micic’s $8.1 million contract to make him a free agent, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. If that is the case, the Serbian guard could return to playing overseas.

In addition to trading Connaughton, the Bucks waived All-Star guard Damian Lillard after signing former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract. 

The decision was met with criticism by NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony and NBA insider Brian Windhorst. But Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin said getting waived is a good opportunity for Lillard to rehabilitate his torn Achilles tendon, spend more time with his family and take his time to explore options with other NBA teams.

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