Sacramento Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic Is The Steal Of The Summer

Lost among other draft night dealings, many missed the fact that the Sacramento Kings may have grabbed the steal of the summer with Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The Sacramento Kings had a remarkably busy draft night, which, not unusually for this particular franchise, left a lot of decisions that needed to be analyzed.

They staged something of a heist in exchanging Marco Belinelli for Charlotte’s 22nd overall pick, before then choosing Malachi Richardson at that spot when it was their turn on the clock.

The bigger headlines came by way of the Kings’ decision to trade their own eighth overall pick though.

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As the Phoenix Suns used that eighth overall pick to acquire one of the highest upside picks of this class in Marquese Chriss, the Kings used the 13th and 28th picks to add Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere, respectively.

With a whole host of terrible decisions down the years, the Kings have become something of a punching bag for many fans and analysts around the league. Although that reputation isn’t necessarily undeserved, it can obscure people’s vision when the Kings actually do something worthwhile.

So as the angry mob rushed to question why a team with DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein would add two more big men, or why they would reach for a player as unproven and uninspiring as Papagiannis, they neglected to discuss the best player Vlade Divac and company had taken on board in the deal.

In exchange for the eighth overall pick, Sacramento received picks No. 13 and 28, a 2020 second overall draft pick, and a player who has been a two-time Euroleague Rising Star.

That last detail may have escaped some observers at the time, but if they don’t know Bogdan Bogdanovic already, there’s little doubt that they will in time.

Having just turned 24 years old, Bogdanovic has already amassed an impressive collection of accolades from his play in Europe.

Playing with Fenerbahce Ulker last year, Bogdanovic won the Turkish League and Cup, was named the MVP of the Turkish Cup and was a Turkish League All-Star. That followed a trophy-laden four-year spell with his hometown club Partizan Belgrade, which saw the Serbian wing pick up two Adriatic League titles as well as being Euroleague’s Rising Star Award in 2014 and 2015.

That’s without even mentioning Bogdanovic’s ever-blossoming resumé with his national team too. Having picked up a silver medal with Serbia at the 2014 World Championships, Bogdanovic matched that feat at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Rio, averaging 12 points per game in the process.

International prospects don’t come any more proven than Bogdanovic. The Belgrade native is likely to come over to the NBA next summer, as he will then be able to negotiate a contract outside of the traditional rookie scale restrictions.

When he does arrive, the Kings will have the kind of player they’ve desperately missed in recent years.

Bogdanovic is a skilled shot-creator, and the kind of deadeye scorer who could finally give Sacramento’s backcourt a true identity. In a recent conversation with SB Nation’s Sactown Royalty, Euro basketball expert David Pick described Bogdanovic as follows:

"“This guy is a flat out, cold-blooded assassin who this season alone, if I’m not mistaken and my count is on point, has won three or four buzzer-beating games for Fenerbahçe, whether it being in a cup competition, in an elimination format game or the Euroleague, which is the top level outside the NBA, on the road in hostile environments. I mean, this kid isn’t scared and definitely does not shy away from the moment. So that in itself is extremely encouraging for any NBA team that landed him, especially for Sacramento.”"

If the Sacramento Kings finally want a roster that has a sense of cohesion to it, Bogdanovic will give them that chance.

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Bogdanovic can offer the Kings not only a talented player in his own right, but also the kind of high caliber playing partner who could mesh with and help appease DeMarcus Cousins for years to come.

For as much as Cousins has had every reason to feel frustrated with the dysfunction of management in Sacramento, there can be little doubt that his primary bone of contention has been the way in which the flaws of the front office have resulted in them failing to surround him with sufficient help.

In Bogdanovic, Cousins will have something that he hasn’t yet had a chance to experience in the NBA: a teammate who is not only battle-tested and ready to help straight away, but one who also has the potential to grow, improve and develop alongside him.

This season isn’t likely to see the Kings make any kind of dramatic improvement in terms of record, but it’s important that Dave Joerger settles in in his first season as head coach and sets the table for the coming years.

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In players like Ben McLemore, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley-Stein, the Kings have young talent. Joerger’s task is now to prepare them to take the next step, because when Bogdanovic eventually touches down in Sactown, there’ll be a real chance for the Kings to put an end to the countless years of jokes.

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