Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic has been involved in various trade rumors as of late. Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets are looking into arranging a deal for the 27-year-old Serbian. With the trade deadline just right around the corner, the Kings should not just look at the possible trade scenarios for Bogdanovic. They should also look at the Serbian himself — on why trading him would be a massive mistake.
Trade Rumors Alone
The spate of trade rumors alone is something that the Kings should look at. It means that other teams see something in Bogdanovic which they believe will aid them in the long run. As mentioned, among those teams interested in him are the Lakers who have been on a tear this season.
As legitimate title contenders, they are still looking to make a couple of tweaks in their roster. Bogdanovic's 3-point shooting prowess and versatility are his main assets. In the event that the Kings trade Bogdanovic to the Lakers and the latter goes on to win the title, (with Bogey playing a key part) then Vlade Divac may have one of the biggest regrets of his career. To avoid this, they need to hold on to him. The Kings need to head back to the drawing board to see if there are areas in Bogdanovic's game that they have failed to utilize.
Too Early to Let Go
Head coach Luke Walton just inserted Bogey into the starting five. With him, the Kings have tallied a 3-2 record. This is a very small sample size and no legitimate conclusions can be garnered. It simply means that Walton may be experimenting with various line ups to see which one works best.
The Kings, who currently sport a 19-31 record, are understandably still in the rebuilding process. A chunk of their payroll belongs to Harrison Barnes (four years, $84 million) and Buddy Hield (four years, $86 million) — both of which are in its initial stages. Young studs De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, too, are due to a hefty extension in the near future. And according to some analysts, Bogey is worth some $15 million to 18 million a season.
While the Kings can keep all of them, the most practical thing to do is to shed off at least one or two from the talented core. And to decide who they'll let go, the Kings would have to let the trade deadline pass and wait for things to pan out. The front office should allow Walton to do his thing. And come summer, then they can decide if they should keep Bogey or not.
Talent
Everything boils down to the Serbian's basketball talents. In 38 games (five starts), the 27-year-old is averaging 14.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 28 minutes. He's shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from deep. Outside the stat sheet, Bogdanovic has displayed his high basketball IQ which has made him a great team defender.
Besides, he's just in his third year in the NBA. In this timeframe, he has gained respect from critics and peers alike. He's a proven basketball sensation in international tourneys. While there still no certainty that he's capable of translating his international success in the NBA, it won't hurt for the Kings to wait.
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