Sacramento Kings can afford to re-sign Bogdan Bogdanovic

The Sacramento Kings must do what they can to re-sign Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The Sacramento Kings must re-sign Bogdan Bogdanovic going forward into next season. Bogdanovic forced his way into the starting lineup this year displaying genuine chemistry with De’Aaron Fox, earning himself a $51 million extension — which he declined.

Will the Kings still pursue Bogdanovic now that fellow Serbian and former general manager Vlade Divac is no longer affiliated with the club? I believe that the answer to this is a resounding yes.

Going into the 2020 free agency, there are very few unrestricted free agents that the Kings could realistically acquire. Not only is this due to the free agency class being relatively weak, but its also due to the Kings’ lack of free agency pulling power.

Very few players will be tempted to join the Kings this year unless the money comes in abundance. Last year the Kings tempted Cory Joseph with a $12.6 million contract as well as paying roughly $13 million to exiled center Dewayne Dedmon.

To think that this is the caliber of player the Kings can attract in free agency considering these large sums of money is very important to note. Bogdanovic will likely be searching in the ballpark of $14-18 million per year, which in comparison is a bargain.

With Buddy Hield recently accepting a four-year, $86 million extension, the Kings may be skeptical about sinking just under 40 percent of their salary cap into one position, especially with Fox closing in on the end of his rookie contract.

The Sacramento Kings can deploy a lineup that features both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield.

The silver lining is that both Hield and Bogdanovic can theoretically play together in smaller lineups, with Bogdanovic moving to the small forward position. This lineup epitomizes the Kings’ mantra of speed as Tim Maxwell of Kings Herald explains.

"“The proposed lineup of Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, Barnes, and Holmes would further catalyze that concept, as they posted the highest pace of any group to record at least 60 possessions together this season, a scorching 109.6.”"

While we were not exposed to this lineup as much as I would’ve hoped this season, the numbers do suggest that it is a feasible lineup, especially once Marvin Bagley comes back and adds some much-needed size without jeopardizing the pace.

This free agency will be a rare occasion where the Kings will actually have an advantage over other teams competing for his signature. Bogi loves Sac-Town and told the Sacramento Bee that he is comfortable here and would like to stay.

"“Everyone knows that I love Sacramento. Everyone loves to be here. It’s a great group of guys. I’m happy right now and I was happy all these years, but I don’t want to rush anything.”"

With the Kings continuing their upward trajectory, it would be criminal to lose such a vital piece in Bogdanovic merely because Hield has already accepted his extension. By keeping both, the Kings can keep their core intact and hopefully look to continue improving.

With a new front office entering the scene, they may feel pressured to make a marquee signing immediately, but if they manage to retain Bogdanovic, then that will be enough for most Kings fans.