By Adam Roberts – 10/16/2020
The season certainly didn’t end the way most Bucks coaches, fans, media, and players desired or excepted, even with taking the halted season and resumption in a bubble into consideration. Milwaukee was once again the top seed in the Eastern Conference and had momentum heading from a four game sweep of Orlando heading into their semifinal match up with Miami. Things stalled, though, due to a lack of what some have called real championship depth around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
So, as Milwaukee enters into the offseason, they have been tasked by many in the local, state, and national media with finding more pieces to put around Giannis, not just in the hopes of taking the next step to the NBA Finals for 2020-21, but to ensure that Giannis will re-sign with the Bucks. Early rumors linked current OKC point guard Chris Paul to Milwaukee, but he’s also been rumored, as seemingly every star is, to join the current champs in LA.
While we wait and see what happens with Paul, the most recent player linked in reports to Milwaukee is Sacramento King restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic. In what many would say was the best season so far for the Serbian product, Bogdanovic posted 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 2019-20, and when he was promoted to a starter the Kings played notably better.
According to the Locked On Kings podcast back in September, general manager Monte McNair had been rumored to want a sign and trade with Bogdanovic, but the team ended up sending Dewayne Dedmon away instead in February. It’s also important to note with Bogdanovic that the Kings have the right of first refusal, giving them the opportunity to match any offer sheet.
Either way, Milwaukee’s front office is certainly feeling the pressure to sign the right pieces to aid Giannis. After the season ended the two parties met, and that meeting ended with an assurance from Bucks brass that they would do everything in their power to bring top talent to Milwaukee. It’s all shaping up for what is likely the most important Bucks offseason in about two decades.