The Bucks planned to send Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova to the Kings for a signed-and-traded Bogdan Bogdanovic. Then, the deal was said to be in jeopardy, though many suspected that was just a masquerade to avoid tampering charges. Then, the deal was said to be off, which still looked like it might be a more forceful attempt to cover for tampering.
But now, it’s really off.
The Bucks are waiving Ilyasova, whose $7 million salary for next season was unguaranteed until tomorrow. Without Ilyasova, Milwaukee can’t plausibly match Bogdanovic’s salary in a sign-and-trade.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Milwaukee is waiving forward Ersan Ilyasova, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2020
What a blow to the Bucks, just as Giannis Antetokounmpo is approaching his super-max decision. Jrue Holiday is still a nice addition, but it’s a letdown for Bogdanovic won’t join him in Milwaukee after he was expected to.
The Bucks can now spend the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($9,258,000) and bi-annual exception ($3,623,000). Milwaukee also keeps DiVincenzo, a solid young player.
But the Bucks probably won’t get anyone as good as Bogdanovic.
