Is it possible the Milwaukee Bucks' inclusion of George Hill in the Jrue Holiday cost them the opportunity to land Bogdan Bogdanovic?
The Bucks had to break off the sign-and-trade agreement with the Sacramento Kings after Bogdanovic's camps argued they never agreed to a deal.
However, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Bogdanovic had legitimate interest in joining the Bucks and was being recruited by Giannis Antetokounmpo. In fact, Amick suggested Bogdanovic was primed to head to Milwaukee.
But Amick reported things changed when Hill—who had also been recruiting Bogie—was sent to New Orleans as part of the deal to land Holiday from the Pelicans.
Sources say two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t the only one recruiting Bogdanovic, as former Bucks point guard George Hill was also known to be in touch with his former teammate from their Kings days. Now Bogdanovic, it seems, was very interested in the idea of joining the Bucks when the unofficial offensive hierarchy only had Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton above him.
But when Milwaukee made the four-team trade that landed the Bucks Jrue Holiday and sent Hill to Oklahoma City, this pecking order most assuredly changed — not to mention the personal dynamics relating to Bogdanovic’s friendship with Hill. Next thing you know, the deal-that-wasn’t-a-deal was falling apart and both sides found themselves facing the investigation, which all but guaranteed that Bogdanovic would head elsewhere.
Bogdanovic eventually entered restricted free agency and signed a four-year, $72 million offer sheet with the Atlanta Hawks.
A number of NBA personnel were surprised when the Kings did not match the offer, if for no other reason than to try and reignite trade discussions with opposing teams.
In any case, it seems the Bucks were unable to land their top two targets in part because they needed Hill to complete the Holiday swap.
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