"What the f***?" - Bogdan Bogdanovic upon learning he was traded to Milwaukee
The Atlanta Hawks bolstered their roster aggressively during the offseason around young superstar Trae Young, including bringing in Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Serbian shooter's move was all but clear-cut, however. In the latest NBA News, the chaotic nature in which Bogdanovic left the Sacramento Kings, almost landing in Milwaukee, before eventually leaving for Atlanta has been revealed.
Bogdan Bogdanovic reveals Kings' assurances prior to trade discussions with Bucks
After making the move from Europe to join the Sacramento Kings, Bogdan Bogdanovic became one of the franchise's key rotation scorers. In the offseason, however, it emerged in NBA Rumors that the shooting guard was to be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks who themselves had plans to bolster their depth with points off the bench.
In an interview with the 28-year-old by Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bogdan Bogdanovic has revealed how he reacted when he learned of the proposed deal.
"When the news came out, we were like, ‘What the f***?’ I didn’t know what was going on. I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure what was going on."
Bogdan Bogdanovic shock at the news came while back home in Belgrade. Not only had the franchise led Bogdanovic to believe he was a valuable part of their progression for the future, but seeing the news on social media was how he found out.
Bogdan Bogdanovic went on to discuss the absurdity of what could have been had he moved to Milwaukee. The whole time talks were ongoing, he had no knowledge of the circumstances whatsoever.
The Milwaukee Bucks had intentions of keeping their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo happy who himself requested the services of Bogdanovic at the franchise. When the deal fell through and Milwaukee came under investigation from the league, this poured on unwanted anxiety for the Bucks' front office as to whether Antetokounmpo would sign his supermax contract extension.
Players in the league talk about 'The Business' when they are used as tradeable commodities despite being content with a team, and this was one such example. After the fallout of the botched Bucks trade, the Atlanta Hawks were all too happy to add Bogdan Bogdanovic to their squad that is already brimming with high-quality scorers.
Bogdanovic has continued his job as a role player and has started the season averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds.