Quietly, the Sacramento Kings are starting to assemble a fairly interesting roster. The took another step towards respectability yesterday by agreeing to terms on a massive contract with Serbian wing Bogdan Bogdanović.
The team signed the long-distance shooter to a 3-year, $36 million contract. That represents the biggest deal ever handed out to an international player with no NBA experience.
Bogdanovic was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the #27 pick in the 2014 NBA draft and had his rights dealt to the Sacramento Kings during last year’s NBA Draft.
Because Bogdanovic waited 3 years to come to the states, he was no longer subject to the NBA’s rookie salary scale which is dictated by where a player is selected in the draft.
Considered one of the best shooters in Europe, Bogdanovic averaged 14.6 points on 50 percent shooting last season, including 43 percent from 3-point range.
In what has to be seen as a corresponding move, the Kings elected against bringing back disappointing shooting guard Ben McLemore.
This Kings roster looks significantly different than it did just one year ago as the team went into a full-scale rebuild once it made the move to trade away superstar bigman DeMarcus Cousins.
A trade down in the draft left the Kings with 3 first round picks, which they used to select Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, and Duke’s Harry Giles.
Now they add the 24-year-old Bogdanovic to their young core of Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis. A move that surely gives Kings fans reason for excitement.
The team has also been linked to Serbian point guard Milos Teodosic, a player who many consider to be the best basketball player who isn’t currently in the NBA.
