Shooting comes at a price in the NBA, but it was too rich for the Kings to keep one of their own.
Bogdan Bogdanovic’s restricted free-agent saga came to an end Tuesday night when the Kings declined to match the Hawks’ four-year, $72 million offer sheet, clearing the way for Atlanta to land the sharpshooting guard.
The move came as the NBA continues to investigate potential tampering over a failed sign-and-trade between the Kings and Bucks, which reportedly would have sent Bogdanovic and Justin James to Milwaukee in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova. That deal was reportedly agreed upon before free agency began on Friday and later fell apart when Bogdanovic said he planned to enter restricted free agency, ESPN reported.
In three seasons with the Kings, the 28-year-old Bogdanovic averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from deep.
“Thank you so much @SacramentoKings for welcoming me with so much love to start my NBA career,” the 28-year-old Bogdanovic wrote in a tweet Tuesday night. “Thank you for allowing me to be myself and giving me the opportunity to follow my dreams!!! Thank you to the fans and the city for welcoming me, and supporting me the whole time!!”
The Kings “labored” over whether or not they should match the Hawks’ offer, according to ESPN, but ultimately wanted to keep roster flexibility.
Instead, Bogdanovic becomes the latest offseason addition for the Hawks, who have upgraded their roster around Trae Young. Since free agency began on Friday, they have signed Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn and Solomon Hill and added Tony Snell in a trade.
