There are a handful of Milwaukee Bucks players who have been linked to a move away from the squad ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The Bucks are reportedly being “super aggressive” in terms of trying to improve their roster for the second half of the campaign, so it only follows that one or two players could be on their way out.
One Buck who has been rumored to be a potential trade chip for Milwaukee is 6-foot-5 shooting guard Pat Connaughton. As it turns out, however, it doesn’t sound like Connaughton’s going anywhere anytime soon.
Doc Rivers Hints on Pat Connaughton’s Milwaukee Bucks Future
Connaughton got his first start of the season in Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. It may have come out of necessity given the team’s injury woes, but the fact that he got the start — and played a healthy 32 minutes as well — is a clear indication of how much confidence head coach Doc Rivers has in the 31-year-old.
Rivers did note, however, that he suspects Connaughton has lost a bit of his confidence, which is something Coach Doc intends to address now that he’s in charge:
“I’m trying to build Pat’s confidence back,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I don’t know if he’s lost it or not, but I just think he can help us, and I’m trying to actually give him more minutes. In a normal thing, I’d probably play one of the other guys, but I’m trying to get Pat going. I think he’s important for us later. That’s why.”
The big takeaway here is Rivers’ statement about Connaughton being an “important” player for the Bucks “later.” This could serve as a massive hint on the veteran’s immediate future with the Bucks in that Coach Doc appears to have included Connaughton in his long-term plans this season.
Then again, we’ve seen much crazier things happen in the NBA. For all we know, Connaughton may have already played his last game for the Bucks.
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