NBA Rumors: Re-Signing Bogdan Bogdanovic Is Kings’ ‘Top Priority’ In Offseason, Report Claims
Although Bogdan Bogdanovic decided against signing a contract extension with the Sacramento Kings late last year, thus allowing him to enter restricted free agency in the 2020 offseason, a new report suggests that the team is still determined to keep him in its long-term plans.
Quoting a report from The Athletic‘s Jason Jones, NBC Sports Bay Area wrote on Sunday that bringing Bogdanovic back for another few years is the Kings’ “top priority” in the coming offseason, as the team is planning to match any offers that rival organizations may make for him. As further explained by the publication, the 27-year-old guard/forward hasn’t just established himself as a vital part of head coach Luke Walton’s rotation — he is now among the top fan favorites on a Sacramento team that had posted a 28-36 win-loss record at the time the NBA suspended its season in March.
According to his Basketball-Reference page, Bogdanovic produced averages of 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range in 53 games for the Kings this season. While he started the 2019-20 campaign as a reserve, the 6-foot 6-inch wingman was promoted to a starting role on January 24, with former No. 6 overall draft pick Buddy Hield getting moved to the bench. This led to Sacramento going 13-7 in the 20 games that preceded the NBA’s decision to go on indefinite hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
? Bogdan Bogdanovic with eyes in the back of his head! #SacramentoProud pic.twitter.com/SUMTO6Q06s
— NBA (@NBA) October 29, 2019
As speculated by NBC Sports Bay Area, there’s a good chance Bogdanovic will be offered a more substantial contract than the four-year, $51.4 million deal he turned down in October. Given that the Kings would eventually need to consider how much they should be paying their young core players — including point guard De’Aaron Fox and big man Marvin Bagley III — when their contracts come up, that could make it challenging to match offer sheets for Bogdanovic. However, the outlet stressed that it would be “imperative” that the Kings bring him back if they want to return to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
Shortly before the above report was published, Bogdanovic was mentioned on occasion as a potential free-agent target for a number of teams. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Serbian guard/forward was one of two players recently mentioned by Bleacher Report — the other being Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari — as a possible addition to the Detroit Pistons in the 2020 offseason as they rebuild after a rough 2019-20 campaign.
