Former Notre Dame star Pat Connaughton exercises option to remain with Milwaukee Bucks

Former Notre Dame star Pat Connaughton exercised his $5.7 million option on Wednesday to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2022-2023 season, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He was a second-round draft pick for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2015 NBA Draft, but was subsequently traded to the Portland Trailblazers, where he began his professional career. The former Fighting Irish star will now be eligible to sign a contract extension with the Bucks this offseason.

The 29-year-old shooting guard had one of his best seasons last year with the Bucks–setting career highs with 9.9 points in 26 minutes per game during 65 game appearances. His production got a bump after Milwaukee traded former Villanova star Donte DiVincenzo to the Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline.

Connaughton played four years at Notre Dame and was a full-time starter for his final three seasons. The Fighting Irish earned a No. 3 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament when he was a senior, advancing all the way to the Elite Eight. He finished his college career averaging 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for Notre Dame, while averaging 38.6 percent from beyond-the-arc. The Arlington, Massachusetts native’s best season from three-point range came in the 2014-2015 season, when he shot 42.3 percent from deep. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard was named third-team All-ACC in 2015.

When he left South Bend, he had made 120 consecutive starts–becoming one of only three Fighting Irish players in program history to make 100-plus consecutive starts.

Connaughton played sparingly during his first few seasons in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. He then signed as a free agent with Milwaukee in 2018. The sharpshooting guard has since carved out a regular reserve role with the Bucks, who were ousted by the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals in May.

As a high school basketball prospect, Connaughton was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 34 shooting guard in America for the 2011 class, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. A dynamic athlete, he was also drafted in the 2014 MLB Draft in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles.

Connaughton received nothing but Division I baseball scholarships through his junior year of high school. While suiting up for St. John’s Prep (Danvers, Massachusetts) on the hardwood, he wrapped up a prolific career there. For his entire high school career, he averaged 23 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists. Connaughton guided his team to a state championship his senior year and was also named the 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Massachusetts.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this article.