Days before the 2020 free agency, reports circulated that the Sacramento Kings agreed in principle to send Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks via a sign-and-trade deal. Unfortunately, the trade fell apart as Bogdanovic reportedly didn’t agree to join the Bucks. Since the controversial deal involving the Serbian superstar, there has been some speculation on why he refused to play in Milwaukee.
In a recent podcast, Sam Amick of The Athletic discussed several interesting topics, including the Bucks’ failed acquisition of Bogdanovic in the 2020 free agency. Amick revealed that the arrival of Jrue Holiday in Milwaukee played a major role in his decision not to join the Bucks. The 28-year-old shooting guard reportedly didn’t like the idea of serving as the team’s fourth scoring option behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Holiday. Also, after they acquired Holiday, Amick said that the Bucks lowered their offer to Bogdanovic.
“When the Holiday move happened, that ripple effect was this: Bogdanovic then became, for all intents and purposes, a fourth option, which my reporting had beared out that he wasn’t necessarily feeling that,” Amick said, as quoted by Dan Feldman of NBC Sports . “And then secondly, the money – I don’t know the specific numbers – but the money was impacted potentially in terms of once they got Holiday what they could offer Bogdan. And it seems as if whatever agreement was in place before – and Bogdan’s camp certainly, all the way through, said there was never an agreement from him.”
Another thing that influenced Bogdanovic’s free agency decision was the inclusion of George Hill in the package that enabled Milwaukee to acquire Holiday. Before the four-team blockbuster deal involving the Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Denver Nuggets became official, Hill was reportedly one of the players who had been heavily recruiting the Serbian superstar to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, he had no idea that Milwaukee would use him as a trade chip to improve their backcourt this fall.
When the sign-and-trade deal between Sacramento and Milwaukee fell apart, Bogdanovic decided to enter the restricted free agency where he ended up signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks may not be as good as the Bucks right now, but compared to Milwaukee, he’s expected to receive more playing time and a significant role on the offensive end of the floor.
Meanwhile, the failed acquisition of Bogdanovic is expected to influence Antetokounmpo’s decision to stay in Milwaukee. The Serbian superstar was rumored to be one of Antetokounmpo’s preferred targets for the Bucks this fall, and the “Greek Freak” reportedly pushed very hard to recruit him. If Antetokounmpo declines to sign the massive contract extension that they recently offered, the Bucks could be left with no choice but to entertain offers for him on the trade market.
