Snapshot
- Role: end-of-bench wing and locker-room veteran.
- 2025-26: 42 GP, 7.1 MPG; .447 FG · .650 FT · 0.5 3PM · 2.6 PTS · 1.5 REB · 0.4 AST · 0.3 STL · 0.0 BLK · 0.3 TO.
- Contract: Charlotte exercised the 2026-27 team option; salary is non-guaranteed until January according to cap reporting.
- Health: missed 11 games with a right-calf strain plus three illness absences.
2026-27 projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 5.0 | .420 | .700 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Nine-category, points, and dynasty: outside the top 250.
Range
- Ceiling: survives cutdown and veteran injuries create 12 minutes; occasional threes streamer in a 30-team league.
- Median: bench leadership with sparse appearances.
- Floor: waived before opening night with little guaranteed money lost.
Sources
- NBA options and qualifying offers — updated 2026-07-02; option exercised.
- Hornets 2025-26 game notes — 2026-04-13; exact line and injury log.
- ESPN player statistics — accessed 2026-07-18.
- RealGM current Hornets roster — accessed 2026-07-18.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Four years at Notre Dame, improving each season: 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman in 2011-12, then 8.9 and 4.7, then 13.8 and 7.1 in 2013-14, and 12.5 points with 7.4 rebounds in 37.2 minutes as a senior. He was also a pitcher, drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round (121st overall) of the 2014 MLB draft and appearing for the Aberdeen IronBirds before returning to basketball. Draft: 2015, second round, 41st overall by Brooklyn; rights traded to Portland with Mason Plumlee on draft night.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 23 | POR | 34 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .265 | 1.000 | 0.3 |
| 2016-17 | 24 | POR | 39 | 8.1 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | .514 | .778 | 0.4 |
| 2017-18 | 25 | POR | 82 | 18.1 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | .423 | .841 | 0.5 |
| 2018-19 | 26 | MIL | 61 | 20.7 | 6.9 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | .466 | .725 | 0.5 |
| 2019-20 | 27 | MIL | 67 | 18.6 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | .455 | .775 | 0.8 |
| 2020-21 | 28 | MIL | 69 | 22.8 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.5 | .434 | .775 | 0.5 |
| 2021-22 | 29 | MIL | 65 | 26.0 | 9.9 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.2 | .458 | .833 | 0.5 |
| 2022-23 | 30 | MIL | 61 | 23.7 | 7.6 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.8 | .392 | .659 | 0.5 |
| 2023-24 | 31 | MIL | 76 | 22.1 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.1 | .435 | .759 | 0.6 |
| 2024-25 | 32 | MIL | 41 | 14.7 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | .469 | .774 | 0.6 |
| 2025-26 | 33 | CHA | 42 | 7.1 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | .447 | .650 | 0.3 |
| Career | 637 | 18.4 | 5.8 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.1 | .438 | .767 | 0.5 |
He won a title with Milwaukee in 2021. Charlotte acquired him by trade on July 6, 2025, waived him on February 4, 2026, and re-signed him five days later to a two-year, $5.1 million deal carrying the 2026-27 team option Charlotte has since exercised.
Durability: Broadly available through the Milwaukee years — 61 to 82 games in six of seven seasons — with the recent drops driven by role rather than health. The 41 games in 2024-25 and 42 in 2025-26 reflect a shrinking rotation spot; the one substantial 2025-26 absence was a right-calf strain costing 11 games, plus three illness games.
Trajectory: A ten-year career that peaked in 2021-22 at 9.9 points and 2.2 threes in 26 minutes, then declined steadily as the shooting stopped carrying the minutes. At 34 he is a locker-room signing on non-guaranteed money, and the 7.1 minutes per game in 2025-26 is the honest read on his remaining role. He has no standalone fantasy case: the only path to relevance is surviving cutdown and then absorbing 15-plus minutes through injuries to Charlotte's wing rotation, and even that produces a threes-only line.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia · Hoops Rumors — Hornets re-sign Connaughton · StatMuse player page
Open questions
- Does Charlotte value Connaughton's mentorship enough to use one of only 15 standard spots?
- Is his contract waived, traded, or retained as flexible non-guaranteed salary?