In one of the strangest offseason situations in recent memory, the Milwaukee Bucks will not continue their pursuit of restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
On Monday, the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee agreed to a deal that would send Bogdanovic to the Bucks in a sign-and-trade in exchange for Donte Divincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova. It was Milwaukee's second trade of the night, after acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans, and it was seen as a smart move to address the team's weaknesses, and to help sway franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo in signing a supermax deal to stay with the team.
The deal hit a snag on Wednesday when it was reported that Bogdanovic was never consulted and never agree to the deal. To make matters worse, the NBA is investigating the proposed deal because of potential tampering. Teams aren't allowed to talk to players or make deals ahead of when free agency starts, which could result in a fine, or worse. Now, though, the Bucks are stepping away from trying to sign Bogdanovic, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.
That decision seemed imminent, after the Bucks waived Illyasova on Thursday, who was part of the proposed trade with Sacramento. Now, Bogdanovic will be an unrestricted free agent, and will likely have plenty of suitors on the market -- at least those who can afford him.
It's unclear if the Bucks decided to step away from the trade because of the NBA investigation, or because Bogdanovic didn't want to play there, but it's a bit of a blow for Milwaukee who looked incredibly promising after Monday's trade news. Bogdanovic would've provided much-needed shot creation and playmaking for a Bucks team that looked stagnant in the postseason last season.
On the bright side, though, with that deal off, Milwaukee can now look at more affordable options in free agency or through other trades that won't hard cap them next season. The Bucks will also be able to keep Divincenzo, who has proved to be a solid defensive player who can knock down shots off the bench. The addition of Holliday is still a huge plus for Milwaukee, now it just needs to find another significant piece to add to the lineup that can help this team get to the NBA Finals, and more importantly try to retain Giannis before he becomes a free agent in 2021.
