Hornets waive veteran Pat Connaughton

The Hornets wanted to keep Pat Connaughton around. In the end, they couldn’t find room.

Charlotte announced Friday that it waived the veteran wing, resolving a roster squeeze before the start of the regular season.

The Hornets had 16 players on standard contracts and needed to get down to 15. Connaughton was the only one whose salary was non-guaranteed.

There had been interest within the organization in retaining him for his locker room presence. Doing so would have required moving someone else, with recent first-round picks Tidjane Salaun and Liam McNeeley among the names mentioned as potentially vulnerable.

Instead, Charlotte kept the younger players and parted with the veteran.

Connaughton played sparingly last season, averaging 7.1 minutes in 42 appearances, but served as a valued voice for a young group that improved considerably over the final two-thirds of the schedule.

The 6-foot-5 wing began his NBA career with Portland before joining Milwaukee in 2018. He became a regular in the Bucks’ rotation and helped them win the 2021 championship.

Injuries reduced his role in later seasons, and Milwaukee sent second-round draft compensation to Charlotte to move his salary in 2025.

Connaughton now heads to waivers with championship experience and a history of helping a good team off the bench. The question is whether another club has room for that experience.