The Milwaukee Bucks' whirlwind of activity continues on Tuesday morning.
As of this writing, the Bucks have waived-and-stretched nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, are re-signing center Jericho Sims, and are bringing in Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers and Gary Harris away from the Orlando Magic. The Turner move is the biggest upside-shifting pivot, as Lillard was doomed to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear.
Now, Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Milwaukee is trading away little-used reserve shooting guard Pat Connaughton, plus two second round draft picks in 2031 and '32, in exchange for Charlotte Hornets point guard Vasilije Micic.
The Milwaukee Bucks are trading Pat Connaughton and two of their own second-round picks (2031, 2032) to the Charlotte Hornets for Vasilije Micic, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gLnvpeG2NX
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
Connaughton had fallen out of head coach Doc Rivers' preferred rotation by the end of the 2024-25 season. Understandably, the 32-year-old Notre Dame product picked up his $9.4 million player option for next year — a number he wouldn't even sniff on the open market at this stage in his career.
The 6-foot-5 Micic, 31, split his 2024-25 season between the Phoenix Suns and the Hornets. He didn't crack Phoenix's rotation, but averaged 7.6 points on .348/.360/.829 shooting splits, 3.5 dimes, and 2.4 rebounds in 36 healthy games for Charlotte (16 starts).
Micic will now compete for minutes against Harris, the newly re-signed Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. (who reportedly agreed to new deals with the Bucks on Monday), plus young incumbent guards AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr.
Point guard Ryan Rollins, who joined the Bucks' standard 15-man roster on a rest-of-season deal after starting off the year on a two-way contract, is a restricted free agent on a qualifying offer. Thus, Milwaukee would theoretically be able to match any money tendered his way if the team wanted to retain him.