In Letting Bogdanovic Walk, The Kings Fail To Learn The Lesson Of 2020

As the dust settles on perhaps the most chaotic offseason in NBA history, there is apparently one team that failed to learn the most important lesson of 2020: never give up an asset for free. That team of course is the Sacramento Kings and the asset they let walk out the door is Bogdan Bogdanovic.

It was a rocky offseason from the start, with the apparent botched sign-and-trade deal with the Bucks that either did or did not actually happen. Either way, the Kings were left empty-handed, having nearly snagged the young Donte Divincenzo from the Bucks along with other cap fodder. Of course, things happen in the NBA and contingency plans are make exactly for this reason. Apparently though, the Kings other course of action was simply to let Bogdanovic walk, which is exactly what they did when they refused to match the Hawks offer of $72 million for four years.

The Kings certainly have there reasons for not matching the deal. They may have believed the price was simply too high or that Bogdanovic wasn’t a good long-term fit for the team. However, for a small market franchise, these sorts of decisions have high costs.

Compare the Kings to the Oklahoma City Thunder and what Sam Presti has done over the past two years. What is now becoming a bit of a running joke around the league, the Thunder are open for business if it means getting back a first round pick or seventeen. In a single year, Sam Presti flipped two contracts that were at one point considered virtually untradeable for multiple picks and young talent.

What Presti understands better than others is that he didn’t need all 29 other teams to think he had a valuable asset: he just needed one. Presti found that in Houston when he traded away Westbrook and he did it again when he shipped Chris Paul to Phoenix. Rather than panic last year when Paul George forced his way to the Clippers, he looked ahead and now has a virtually unrivaled war chest of assets.

Why the Kings decided not to follow the same blueprint is rather baffling. They didn’t need to free up the cap space for a splashy free agent signing. They aren’t expected to contend for a title or even a playoff spot this season. They are firmly still in the rebuilding stage of their process and they just let one of their best assets walk for free.

Knowing full well that the Hawks, Bucks and even the Lakers were interested in Bogdanovic makes the decision to match look even worse. Imagine if the Kings had in fact opted to retain Bogdanovic, deciding to deal with a bit of chemistry awkwardness for the first half of the season, with eyes on the trade deadline. Might the Bucks have been willing to engage again, this time without the fear of a possible investigation from the NBA? Perhaps another suitor would have appeared, willing to send out a first round pick or two. In the NBA arms race, getting a 28 year old under contract for the next four years has immense value.

Even if the Kings privately believed that the price tag for Bogdanovic was too high, they simply can’t afford to let players of his ilk walk without getting anything in return. The short term pain of retaining him would’ve been offset by the ability to turn him into a more favorable asset down the line.

Now, the Kings find themselves with less talent and more questions. Sure, they locked De’Aaron Fox into a max deal worth $163 million. Fox is clearly a foundational piece for the team and a talented young player. However, there has been continued drama with his backcourt running mate Buddy Hield. Thankfully, the Kings have Hield under contract through 2024 and thus have leverage over the situation. If things continue to sour, there will be more than a few teams willing to trade for a talented guard under a long contract. Even if the team has to take back a less favorable contract in return, they can secure more assets– allowing them the best chance to build a team for the future.

And that’s the whole point. Don’t let young talent walk. Lesson not learned.