Why should Pat Connaughton make the Hornets opening night roster?

Andre Ingram spent 10 years in the NBA’s G-League before finally getting a chance to play in the NBA. In his first game in the league at 32 years old, Andre Ingram recorded 19 points with 4 three pointers in a Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Houston Rockets.

Ingram is a story of perseverance, and defying all odds to achieve your goals.

Why am I telling you this?

Making the NBA is hard. 0.03% of all high school men’s basketball players, or 3 in 10,000, actually end up making the big leagues. It’s what makes things such as the Summer League so interesting to watch. Players are fighting for their NBA lives to achieve a dream they have had since they were children.

In the modern NBA, staying on a roster is harder than ever. Cap navigating has become extremely difficult, and it's caused several NBA level players to either join the G-League, go overseas, or, disappointingly, call it a career. Every training camp, every preseason, every 10-Day contract, players are fighting for their lives.

For the Charlotte Hornets, they have 18 roster spots at the moment, three higher than the league mandated 15 spots. For once, the team has lots of talent that will make it difficult to determine who will not be on the roster for opening night. Several names have been thrown around, such as Josh Green, Nick Smith Jr, DaQuan Jeffries, and newcomer Pat Connaughton.

While Connaughton's age, contract, and talent all make plenty of sense for why he should be one of the three to be moved off the roster before the season starts, there's also a case to be made that the one time NBA Champion should stay on the Hornets roster, and potentially receive rotational minutes during the season.

Connaughton is entering his 11th season in the NBA, as he has spent the last eight with Milwaukee after being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers

Pat had his best two years in 2020-21 and 21-22, where over 134 games he averaged 8.3 points, while shooting 38.5% from deep. It was during this time he made his first and only NBA Finals appearance, scoring 9.2 points on 44.1% from three in the Bucks championship win over the Phoenix Suns.

Since 2022, he's gradually seen a decline in minutes and points, recording 14.7 minutes over 41 games last season, both lows since his second year in Portland. He's entering the final season of a three-year, $28.2 million contract, where he's set to make $9.42 million this season. His contract, mixed with declining play, caused the Bucks to attach draft capital and release the player they traded for, solely to get off his contract.

With the Hornets building a young squad and focusing towards the future, a player going into his age-33 season, on a large contract while seeing a decline does not make sense in the slightest. So why should the Hornets keep him?

This Hornets squad, especially the wings, needs veterans. They have Spencer Dinwiddie, 32, with the guards. Mason Plumlee, 35, with the centers. If Connaughton is cut, Miles Bridges, 27, would be the veteran in the room. While the Hornets have reason to cut Connaughton and focus on developing their younger players, Pat's championship experience could keep him around and give him a chance to mentor some of the younger guys, like Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley.

Connaughton has a relationship and experience with head coach Charles Lee as well, who was an assistant in Milwaukee prior to becoming head coach of the Buzz.

What about his play on the court? Yes, Pat saw a decline in the 2024-25 season. His minutes, points, shooting numbers, and games players were all down. He's still a good player to put alongside LaMelo Ball, and will have the ability to sit and hit threes. While his corner numbers were down, Pat shot 36.1% from the wings and top of the key, above the 35.3% league average mark. He was still efficient in the midrange, shooting around 50% from there.

Connaughton is on the last year of his deal, and it would make total sense for the Hornets to cut him. However, championship experience, mentorship, and potential play next to LaMelo Ball could not only earn him a roster spot, but a chance to return next season on a team friendly deal.

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