Bucks sign Connaughton; veteran guard Jennings cut

In a move that was originally reported last week, the Milwaukee Bucks officially signed free-agent wing Pat Connaughton on Wednesday.

The deal is expected to be two years in length with only the first season guaranteed. Connaughton's first-year salary will be slightly more than $1.6 million, which amounts to the amount of the team's mid-level exception remaining after signing Ersan Ilyasova earlier in the summer.

“Pat is a talented wing player with a tremendous work ethic and great character,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We believe he will continue to grow and develop his skills working with Coach Bud and his staff."

Connaughton, 25, was picked 41st in the 2015 draft and has spent his first three years in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-5 wing owns career averages of 3.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 155 appearances while shooting 36.4% from three-point range.

Last season, Connaughton played in all 82 of Portland's regular-season games, averaging 5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per contest while shooting 35.2% from three-point range on 2.6 attempts per game.

In a separate move, the Bucks waived point guard Brandon Jennings, a source told the Journal Sentinel. Jennings joined the team in March, signing a pair of 10-day contracts before inking a multi-year deal on April 1 that allowed him to finish the season with Milwaukee and stay with the team this summer on a non-guaranteed deal.

Jennings' contract was due to become guaranteed on July 1 until the two sides reached an agreement to push the guarantee date to Aug. 1. By waiving Jennings on Wednesday, the Bucks opted to move on.

Milwaukee's first-round draft pick in 2009, Jennings, 28, came back to the NBA after a stint in China first by joining the G League's Wisconsin Herd in February. Following injuries to Bucks point guards Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova, the Bucks chose to sign Jennings to add point guard depth and experience to their bench.

With Brogdon and Dellavedova healthy, Eric Bledsoe firmly in the starting spot and the additions of guards like Connaughton and draft pick Donte DiVincenzo, the need for Jennings' skills off the bench became less critical.

With Wednesday's moves, the Bucks now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts heading into the season.