Hawks land Bogdan Bogdanovic after Kings decline to match offer sheet

Sacramento did not match Atlanta’s offer sheet for Bogdan Bogdanovic, clearing the way for the restricted free agent to join the Hawks.

The Kings had 48 hours to match the Hawks’ offer, which was reportedly for four years and $72 million. With recent extensions for guards De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield already on the books, Sacramento declined.

Join us in welcoming @LeaderOfHorde to the ️!#TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/NR4JkixSPA

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 25, 2020

Instead, Bogdanovic will become part of a rapidly evolving Atlanta roster that also includes veteran forward Danilo Gallinari and 2020 sixth overall pick Onyeka Okongwu. The Serbian swingman had been part of a reported sign-and-trade deal to the Bucks last week before that move fell apart.

“Bogdan has a great feel for the game, and we expect him to be a great fit for us with his high-level offensive skill set, experience and toughness,” Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said in a team statement. “It’s no secret that one of our biggest areas of focus in free agency was adding shooting and quality depth. With Bogdan as part of our incoming group, we feel those are now areas of strength.”

Last season, Bogdanovic averaged 15.1 points while shooting 37.2% from 3-point range while also adding 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He became a starter for the Kings in January, supplanting Hield before Sacramento ultimately fell short of the playoffs during bubble play in Orlando.

With All-Star guard Trae Young leading the way, the Hawks have their sights set firmly on their first playoff appearance since 2017. Young averaged 29.6 points and 9.3 assists, but he was a big liability at the defensive end and the offense struggled to create scoring chances anytime he took a breather.

Bogdanovic figures to make Young even more effective, giving Atlanta another weapon at shooting guard. Gallinari also provides a bit of insurance with young forward John Collins heading into his final year before restricted free agency and reportedly looking to land a max contract that the Hawks may be reluctant to hand out.

Atlanta will have a completely new look at center with Okongwu and expected starter Clint Capela, who was acquired from Houston last season at the trade deadline but was injured and never got on the court with Atlanta before the season shut down.

This is exactly what the Hawks had in mind when they began a major overhaul in 2017, only two years removed from a surprising 60-win season and run to the Eastern Conference final.

Schlenk stuck to his plan of building first through the draft, hoarding young talent while taking on big-money contracts that would come off the books about the time he thought his squad was ready to make a major leap forward.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.