One of the more interesting stories of this NBA offseason so far has been the saga involving Sacramento Kings wing Bogdan Bogdanovic.
He reportedly was headed to Milwaukee in a sign-and-trade deal, but it later came out that Bogdanovic had not agreed to the move, and the transaction ultimately fell through. Not only that, but the NBA has opened up a tampering investigation due to such a transaction not yet being permissible.
Bogdanovic instead is on track to become a restricted free agent this weekend, which makes him a potential target for a number of teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise has expressed interest in acquiring him previously and that apparently hasn’t waned.
According to Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Lakers are among the teams Bogdanovic is expected to take meetings once free agency begins:
Bogdanovic and his representation are expected to take meetings when it’s allowed this afternoon/evening, with Atlanta and the Lakers known to be among the suitors.
The Lakers’ interest shouldn’t come as a surprise as Bogdanovic checks a lot of needs for the team. He is an excellent scorer capable of creating his own shot or playing off the ball. He has range and knocked down 37.2% of his 3-pointers on more than seven attempts per game.
Bogdanovic is also a solid playmaker who averages more than three assists per game for his career and is a known as being unafraid of big moments. But as a restricted free agent, and with the Lakers lacking the salary cap room to offer him a big contract, his acquisition would have to be through a sign-and-trade.
While the Lakers have a couple of exceptions at their disposal to sign players, they are not worth enough that would cause the Kings not to match the deal, which they are able to do in restricted free agency.
What kind of trade package the Lakers could put together to acquire him is unclear, but the team continues to explore all avenues to build on last season’s success.
Anthony Davis will wait to sign contract
Whatever moves the Lakers make involving Bogdanovic or anyone else, they are likely to happen while the team waits on Anthony Davis to sign his contract with the team.
Davis is expected wait until Thanksgiving before re-signing. The contract is expected to be a short-term one, but will still be worth supermax money as Davis will be with the franchise for the foreseeable future.
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