The Sacramento Kings were probably going to miss the playoffs if the 2019-20 season didn't get suspended. The team had a record of just 28-36. They were in the 11th spot in the Western Conference standings.
The Kings franchise has the longest playoff drought in the NBA. A Sacramento team hasn't made the playoffs since 2006. General manager Vlade Divac and head coach Luke Walton are the two men who will be tasked with building a winner in Sacramento again.
The Kings' core is made up of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. To keep this core intact, Divac will have to re-sign Bogdanovic. The talented swingman becomes a restricted free agent whenever the 2020 offseason begins.
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended, Bogdanovic was averaging 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for the Kings. He was also shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Sacramento chose not to trade Bogdanovic at the trade deadline because the front office has confidence it can re-sign him. The Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams that had trade interest in Bogdan.
As a restricted free agent, Bogdanovic can sign an offer sheet with another team if he wants. Should that occur, the Kings would have 48 hours to match the deal or let him walk.
Divac and Co. already made one giant mistake by drafting Bagley III over Luka Doncic. The Kings can't make another bad move by losing Bogdanovic, especially without getting anything in return.
Bogdanovic can score from all three areas of the court and he's developing into a good playmaker. The Kings don't want to take the ball out of Fox's hands too often since he's so explosive going to the basket. However, having another shot creator next to Fox such as Bogdanovic is important for instances when De’Aaron is tired or opposing teams start trapping the budding star.
Moreover, because Fox is elite at getting to the basket and collapsing defenses, it makes zero sense for the Kings to lose arguably their best perimeter shooter. Bogdanovic roams around the arc perfectly for Sacramento. He's always making himself available to Fox when the Kings' floor general is attacking the basket and looking for guys to swing it to.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has career NBA averages of 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He's only going to get better over time. The Kings would hate to lose this gem of a talent they discovered and helped mold into a solid 3&D wing.
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