The Milwaukee Bucks nearly traded for Bogdan Bogdanovic back in 2020, but the deal fell apart at the last minute, forging a what if that has long lingered. Now, following Bogdanovic's comments on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks fans can only think about what could have been if the tandem had hit the hardwood in the same green jersey.
Representing Serbia at EuroBasket, here is what Bodganovic had to say about Giannis regarding what makes him special, as transcribed by EuroHoops:
“Giannis is pure athleticism. You can’t make mistakes against him because he punishes them all the time. His defense is incredible, and running in transition makes him unstoppable."
Bogdanovic would have been an excellent Buck
Bogdanovic's fit in Milwaukee would have been perfect. Known for his sweet perimeter shooting, the Serbian wing would have been the perfect complement to Giannis, spacing the floor adequately and receiving no shortage of open looks. It's a chess move fans have seen consistently over the years, but this one could have been the best version yet.
While not a liability, the wing wouldn't have had to worry too much about defense, as the Bucks had just traded for Jrue Holiday that summer. What a backcourt that would have been. In fact, with a five of Holiday, Bogdanovic, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez, one could argue this would have been one of the best starting fives in all of basketball at the time.
It's still not entirely clear why the sign-and-trade, which featured Donte DiVincenzo, DJ Wilson, and Ersan Ilyasova, fell through. Whether it was due to the Milwaukee Bucks speaking to Bogdanovic at an illegal date or the wing wanting to explore other options, such as signing with Atlanta, which he ended up doing, it simply didn't ultimately happen.
Losing out on him was a gut-punch at the time, and it would have hurt far more had the Bucks not won the title the following season. Yet, even then, the thought of how good Bogdanovic could have been on this team, which has lacked a consistent starting shooting guard for years, looms large to this day. This is certainly one of the biggest what ifs the franchise has endured in recent memory.
Losing out on Bogdanovic did open the door for the Milwaukee Bucks to trade for PJ Tucker later in the season, and everyone knows how vital he was in the title run, so it wasn't all disaster. There's no use in dwelling on the past, but every now and then, failed bids like this are bound to pop up.
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