November has been a whirlwind for Bogdan Bogdanovic, with the 28-year-old wing linked to a number of potential NBA transactions. Bogdanovic was reportedly part of a botched sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks but, when that fell apart, the talented perimeter player hit the market with only a small handful of teams wielding significant salary cap space. On Sunday, word broke that Bogdanovic inked a four-year, $72 million offer sheet with the Atlanta Hawks but, with the Sacramento Kings holding the right to match due to restricted free agency, Bogdanovic was still waiting to find out where he would begin the 2020-21 season.
The Kings had until 11:59 pm EST on Tuesday evening to match the offer but, after more than 48 hours of waiting, Bogdanovic will indeed be heading to Atlanta to play alongside Trae Young on an up-and-coming team.
The Sacramento Kings have declined to match the Atlanta Hawks’ four-year, $72 million offer sheet for restricted free agent guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 25, 2020
As is the case with many offer sheets, the Hawks made things difficult on the Kings. Bogdanovic will have a fourth-year player option for the 2023-24 season and, in addition, the contract includes a 15 percent trade kicker. Given that he will also make $18 million annually, this is a significant investment for Atlanta, but the Hawks had just enough salary cap space to make it work after adding Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, and Kris Dunn to the fold.
Bogdanovic doesn’t project as a star in Atlanta and, at 28, he is notably older than most restricted free agents. However, he will be the best wing on the Hawks’ roster upon arrival and, if nothing else, he provides a varied offensive skill set that includes perimeter shooting and on-ball creation. Bogdanovic averaged 15.1 points per game in a supporting role for the Kings last season and, at 6’6 and 220 pounds, he has strong positional size. Atlanta does have talented young wings in Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter, and De’Andre Hunter but, with an apparent mandate to improve based on their other transactions, the Hawks are setting up to be an interesting threat to crash the playoff party in the Eastern Conference.
For the Kings, this was reportedly a difficult decision, with Bogdanovic coming in at a hefty salary and potentially conflicting with Sacramento’s other pieces.
And once Tyrese Haliburton dropped to the Kings at No. 11 in Wednesday’s draft, Sacramento suddenly had a deeper, more talented backcourt than they originally anticipated heading into free agency — another factor in this decision. https://t.co/R5l8il2WZn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 25, 2020
Still, this is anything but optimal from an asset management perspective for Sacramento. Bogdanovic is a starting-caliber player that walks out the door without any compensation and, considering the Kings had restricted rights, that is a situation that could come back to bite Sacramento in the near future.