Fansided

5 teams that got worse during 2020 NBA free agency

By Bryan Toporek

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images /
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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings looks on in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Golden 1 Center on February 08, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings looks on in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Golden 1 Center on February 08, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

4. Sacramento Kings

Heading into free agency, the Sacramento Kings had a major decision to make.

In October, Jason Jones of The Athletic reported shooting guard Buddy Hield had “soured on” head coach Luke Walton “to the point he will not answer his coach’s phone calls.” That frustration had been percolating since the start of the year, when Walton shifted Hield to the bench in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Meanwhile, Bogdanovic was set to become a restricted free agent. If the Kings re-signed him and Walton refused to play Hield alongside Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox in a three-guard lineup, the locker room had the potential to boil over at some point this season.

Four days before free agency began, news leaked that the Kings had agreed to sign-and-trade Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks, which seemed to solve their problems. They’d be getting back Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova, clearing the way for Hield to move back into the starting lineup. There was just one problem: Bogdanovic never agreed to the deal, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The Atlanta Hawks pounced once free agency began, signing Bogdanovic to a four-year, $72 million offer sheet that the Kings ultimately decided not to match. New general manager Monte McNair told reporters that they prioritized financial flexibility so they could “add talent and capitalize as big opportunities came up down the road.”

Based on the Kings’ recent history in free agency — from Zach Randolph and George Hill to Cory Joseph and Rajon Rondo — financial flexibility doesn’t necessarily equate to future success. Although they got great value by signing Hassan Whiteside to a one-year minimum deal, the Kings will be significantly weaker on the wing this season without Bogdanovic.

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