Atlanta Hawks reportedly ‘among suitors’ for Bogdan Bogdanovic

Friday, Nov. 20 officially marks the start of NBA free agency and, in on-brand fashion for the league, rumors are flying before the alarm goes off at 6:00 pm ET. The Atlanta Hawks have been tied to a number of potential targets but, in the case of Sacramento Kings wing Bogdan Bogdanovic, the last few days have been a wild ride.

Bogdanovic was seemingly on his way to the Milwaukee Bucks in a sign-and-trade deal, with multiple outlets reporting the specifics of a multi-player transaction. However, the 28-year-old was not technically allowed to even negotiate with the Bucks before Friday, which placed a spotlight on the proceedings.

Ultimately, the deal seemingly began to fall apart before it could be consummated. On Friday afternoon, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Bucks are “moving on” from their pursuit of Bogdanovic.

With Milwaukee potentially out of the picture, Bogdanovic, who is a restricted free agent, would be back on the market. To that end, Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic report that “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.”

It is anything but surprising to see the Hawks linked with potential involvement, as Atlanta has the most salary cap space in the NBA. As such, the Hawks could theoretically present Bogdanovic with a lucrative offer sheet, putting the Kings in an interesting position with the option to match. As an alternative, the Hawks and Kings could put together a sign-and-trade to potentially benefit both parties, though Atlanta would undoubtedly prefer to a situation in which they could sign Bogdanovic, rather than using any assets to acquire him via trade.

It has to be noted that the Hawks are a natural point of leverage for players and agents. Atlanta’s reported links to Danilo Gallinari, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Jones Jr., Jerami Grant, Davis Bertans and others are a reminder of that. At the same time, Bogdanovic is also a logical target for Atlanta as a talented wing with the ability to provide secondary creation and perimeter shooting.

Details of a potential pursuit are difficult to come by at this stage, but the Hawks are now reportedly in the mix for yet another interesting free agent. This time, it even took a failed sign-and trade — and an ongoing NBA investigation into potential impropriety — to put Bogdanovic back on the market.

Stay tuned.