Lakers, Hawks emerge in Bogdan Bogdanovic bazaar as NBA probes failed Kings-Bucks trade
The Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks emerged as potential suitors in the Bogdan Bogdanovic bazaar Friday while NBA investigators remained focused on the failed sign-and-trade deal that would have sent the Serbian shooting guard to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sources told The Athletic the Bucks were moving on from their pursuit of Bogdanovic after a reported trade with the Kings collapsed over the course of the week amid suspicions of tampering. The Lakers and Hawks were expected to be among the teams interested in acquiring Bogdanovic, who will pursue other opportunities as a restricted free agent.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday the Kings and Bucks had agreed to a deal sending Boganovic and Justin James to Milwaukee for Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson, but there were signs of miscommunication right from the start. One minute after Wojnarowski reported the agreement a league source told The Sacramento Bee “there is no deal.” The source reiterated “there was never a deal” as the trade unraveled Wednesday, noting Bogdanovic could not be offered a new contract until free agency began Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
The New York Times reported Thursday the NBA had launched an investigation into the failed trade. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said reports of the trade led to accusations of tampering, causing an uproar among NBA executives. The NBA took a hard line against tampering in September 2019 when it announced stiffer penalties. Teams can now be fined as much as $10 million for tampering and $6 million for entering into an unauthorized agreement with a player. The players are subject to a $250,000 fine.
While the NBA pressed for answers on that matter, other wheels were in motion as the clock ticked toward the start of free agency. Kings general manager Monte McNair now faces the possibility of losing Bogdanovic without compensation unless a new sign-and-trade agreement can be found.
The Hawks have been rumored as a potential player in the Bogdanovic sweepstakes for weeks. The Lakers and Charlotte Hornets were reportedly interested in acquiring Bogdanovic before the trade deadline last season. The Lakers were rebuffed when the Kings turned down a package involving Kyle Kuzma.
Sacramento will have the right to match any offer Bogdanovic receives after extending a $10.7 million qualifying offer Thursday, but the Hawks, Hornets, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons have enough salary cap space to make things uncomfortable for the Kings. Sacramento committed more than $170 million to Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes last offseason. Now the organization faces a Dec. 21 deadline to sign point guard De’Aaron Fox to an extension that could be worth $163 million over five years, based on current cap projections.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 3:15 PM.
