Report: Hornets Have Interest In Bogdan Bogdanovic

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Hornets have shown interest in Bogdan Bogdanovic. Do they have enough assets to send in return?

The trade deadline is coming up later this week and talks around the NBA are ramping up. It seems as though every team has a player that is rumored to be on the move, and the Sacramento Kings are no different. They have a few non-core players that they will dangle in hopes that someone bites, but the biggest name in the Sacramento rumor mill is certainly Bogdan Bogdanovic.

There have been plenty of whispers surrounding Bogdanovic, most notably a rumor that linked him to the Lakers in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and other pieces. But the team that has most recently been linked to the third-year guard from Serbia is the Charlotte Hornets.

While the details of any potential talks are unknown, ESPN’s Zach Lowe has at least brought to light the fact that the Hornets are interested. Charlotte is a middle-of-the-pack three-point shooting team, and could certainly use another long-ball shooter to add to their arsenal. They began the season as the 8th youngest team in the league, so adding a player who has an extensive professional basketball resume would certainly help with veteran leadership.

Could The Hornets Afford Him?

But what type of package would the Hornets be willing to offer in return? The Kings are certainly not feeling any pressure to move Bogdanovic, as they are still plenty of options this summer if they don’t deal him before Thursday. So the Kings would be smart to sell high and be choosey with any offers that come across the table. They will be in an asset-collecting position instead of making any sort of playoff push.

For this reason, a trade between the Kings and the Hornets is unlikely. The pieces that Charlotte would be willing to give up are likely not enough to satisfy Sacramento’s asking price.

One possible scenario of an offer from the Hornets might include Malik Monk as well as a protected first-round pick. While Monk certainly does not carry enough value for a 1-on-1 swap, the details on the pick protections would likely be the difference between the Kings even fielding the phone call in the first place.

The upcoming draft is projected to be an average one, and first-round picks are not as hot of a commodity as they typically are. At the time of press, the Hornets currently have the 6th worst record in the NBA and will likely finish in the bottom ten. If Charlotte chooses to add a top-ten draft protection to the pick that they hypothetically send to Sacramento, then the Kings should hang up.

Final Thoughts

Unless the Hornets are willing to increase their offer in our makebelieve scenario, then there will be no deal to send Bogdanovic to Charlotte. That is not to say that there won’t be other teams that place a call to Vlade Divac, though. In the Kings’ final game before Thursday’s trade deadline, Bogdanovic scored 23 points on 4 of 5 shooting from three. He went 9 for 11 from the free-throw line with five of his makes coming in the last 70 seconds of the game.

If Sacramento is willing to pull the trigger on a Bogdan Bogdanovic trade, then his final game as a King was a signature game. At worst, he upped his market value with his solid performance.