Kings sending Bogdan Bogdanovic to Milwaukee Bucks in sign-and-trade deal, per report

The Milwaukee Bucks weren’t done with their pursuit of Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic even after acquiring former All-Star Jrue Holiday in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

Just when it looked like the Bucks might have gotten the guard they wanted to combine with MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star Khris Middleton, general manager Jon Horst reportedly made another move late Monday night to acquire Bogdanovic from the Kings.

Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the Kings were sending Bogdanovic and Justin James to the Bucks in a sign-and-trade deal for Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson. The Kings created future cap flexibility as new general manager Monte McNair begins what might be a full rebuild in Sacramento.

Earlier Monday evening, sources told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor the Bucks still intend to pursue a sign-and-trade deal for Bogdanovic. O’Connor added the Atlanta Hawks would also pursue Bogdanovic, but he noted the Bucks could sell Bogdanovic on the idea of competing for a championship.

A league source cautioned The Sacramento Bee that no deal had been finalized, but that appears to be a technicality. ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted the trade can’t be completed until the free-agent moratorium ends Saturday.

Bogdanovic was set to become an unrestricted free agent after three seasons in Sacramento. He told The Sacramento Bee he turned down a four-year, $51.4 million extension with the Kings prior to the 2019-20 season.

Bogdanovic’s camp signaled a willingness to play hardball in negotiations with the Kings after they signed Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes to lucrative new deals last offseason. Former general manager Vlade Divac would have likely been willing to match offers in the range of $15 million to $18 million, but it was unclear what price McNair would be willing to pay. If Bogdanovic didn’t like his options, he could have taken the Kings’ qualifying offer and left Sacramento as an unrestricted free agent next summer with no compensation for the Kings.

Bogdanovic averaged a career-high 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season in Sacramento. His departure seemingly clears the way for Buddy Hield to return to the starting lineup after coach Luke Walton moved him into a backup role behind Bogdanovic last season.

Justin James, a 6-7 guard entering his second NBA season, averaged 2.5 points in 36 games for the Kings last season.

DiVincenzo, 23, came out of Villanova as the 17th pick in the 2018 NBA draft. The 6-4 shooting guard averaged 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 23 minutes per game for the Bucks last season, his second in the NBA. He shot just 33.6% from 3-point range, but he is a solid perimeter defender, something the Kings have lacked.

Ilyasova, 33, is a 12-year NBA veteran. The 6-9 power forward averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 63 games last season, shooting 36.5% from 3-point range.

Wilson, 24, starred at Capital Christian High School in Sacramento before the Bucks selected him out of Michigan with the 17th pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Wilson appeared in 37 games last season, averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per contest.

DiVincenzo is set to make $3 million this season. His contract includes a team option for $4.7 million in 2021-22. Ilyasova is scheduled to earn $7 million next season. His contract is not guaranteed if he is waived before the deadline, although it’s unclear when that deadline will arrive under an adjusted NBA calendar. Wilson will earn $4.5 million in the final year of his rookie-scale contract.

The Kings are receiving nearly $14.6 million in salary in the trade. They already have about $95 million in salary for 2020-21 dedicated to Hield, Barnes, Cory Joseph, Marvin Bagley III, De’Aaron Fox, Nemanja Bjelica, Jabari Parker and Richaun Holmes.

If Ilyasova isn’t waived, the Kings will be over the $109.1 million salary cap with only 11 players under contract. Sacramento can save an additional $7.2 million by waiving Bjelica.

Trading Bogdanovic for short-term contracts gives Sacramento a path to future cap flexibility and could indicate McNair’s desire to rebuild. The Kings could get well below the cap for 2021-22, which is projected to be $112.4 to $120 million.

Sacramento has about $55.4 million in salary allocated to Hield, Barnes and Joseph for 2021-22, although only $2.4 million of Joseph’s $12.6 million salary is guaranteed. In addition to those deals, Fox is expected to sign an extension that could be worth more than $30 million per year and Bagley’s contract includes a team option for $11.3 million.

If the Kings part ways with Joseph, McNair could strip the team’s 2021-22 cap sheet to less than $90 million, but all of that money would be committed to Fox, Hield, Barnes and Bagley.