Milwaukee Bucks: 5 options for No. 2 selection in the 2014 NBA redraft

No. 4 option for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014 NBA redraft — Bogdan Bogdanovic

Before the Bucks attempted to trade for sharpshooting swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic during the 2020 offseason, they had a chance to select him in the 2014 NBA Draft. Bogdanovic went 27th in the first round but would not make his NBA debut until 2017, having played three seasons over in Turkey professionally beforehand.

Throughout his first four seasons in the league, Bogdanovic has only continued to get better with each passing year. During the 2020-21 season, the guard battled through injuries but had himself a career year when healthy by averaging 16.4 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from 3-point territory. It is high-octane offense like that that made the Bucks so anxious to trade for him last offseason in an infamous trade with the Sacramento Kings before the deal fell through.

Looking at his fit with the modern-day Bucks, Bogdanovic would have been a seamless pick. His lethal 3-point shot would have made him a perfect partner offensively for Antetkounmpo, who would have been given a reliable kick-out threat on the perimeter. Head coach Mike Budenholzer, who has changed the team’s identity offensively over the past three seasons, would have loved to have had that sharpshooting in the mix. Oh, what could have been.

Bogdanovic was certainly not among the top-reviewed players leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft, but in hindsight, he would have been a great pick for the Bucks.