Per an ESPN report, the Milwaukee Bucks are set to acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade deal from the Sacramento Kings.
The Milwaukee Bucks made quite the splash with the reported addition Jrue Holiday. But they haven’t stopped there.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks are acquiring Sacramento Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade deal in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson.
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As Woj noted in a later tweet, the Bucks will also be getting second-year guard Justin James in return.
Of course, the biggest question that revolves around what kind of deal Bogdanovic will end up signing can’t be answered yet as the deal won’t be made official until the start of free agency on Friday evening, at the earliest.
And the logistics of trying to pull of such a deal as ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed adds a whole other layer on trying to make sense of this deal.
Also contract has to be for a minimum of 3 seasons with year 1 only guaranteed. https://t.co/mV2fik28D2
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) November 17, 2020
By acquiring Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Milwaukee Bucks get a player they have coveted for quite some time.
What’s easy to make sense of with the Bucks acquiring Bogdanovic is that they get a player that fits their timeline and will be a natural fit with their reshaped roster.
The speculation swirling around Bogdanovic and the Bucks had been building in the aftermath of the Bucks being bounced out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. ESPN’s Zach Lowe had reported earlier this month that the Bucks “loved” Bogdanovic before laying out the sign-and-trade scenarios needed to acquire him, given their financial constraints.
What the Bucks wished for, they received. On top of reportedly acquiring an All-Star level guard in Holiday earlier on Monday night.
Back to Bogdanovic, the on-court fit makes all the sense of the world, given their need to add more playmaking and shooting on the floor at all times. In Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Holiday and Bogdanovic, there are your four leading creators right there, along with Brook Lopez bombing away from deep while protecting the rim on the other side of the ball.
Coming off a season in which he averaged 15-3-3 while shooting 44 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three, Bogdanovic’s snug shot creation, shooting and playmaking will be completely interchangeable, based on whatever lineup the Bucks have on the court.
We should also do a small note on James here too, who played a total of 232 total NBA minutes for the 2019-20 season. The 40th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, James is under contract for the next two seasons, but his $1.7 million salary for the 2021-22 season is completely non-guaranteed.
By taking a flyer on him and if they like what they see, the Bucks could always guarantee that salary. If not, they get a little wiggle room, especially if Antetokounmpo ends up signing his supermax this offseason.
Either way, in one fell swoop, the Bucks got better by adding both Holiday and Bogdanovic, all while improving their chances of Antetokounmpo staying in Milwaukee long-term. Whether he does so is anyone’s guess, but the Bucks have put themselves in the best position for him to do so.