Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Brother Was In Touch With Bogdan Bogdanovic For Months to Lure Him Towards Milwaukee Bucks: REPORTS

Before the free agency started, the Bucks had traded for Jrue Holiday and had a deal in principle for Bogdan Bogdanovic. It looked like the Bucks had strengthened their starting lineup and looked destined to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo the supermax contract.

After many twists and turns and a whole bit of controversy later, Bogdanovic went onto sign a four-year deal worth $72 million with the Atlanta Hawks. What this means for the Bucks is that they are no longer as confident over Giannis’ extension as before.

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer in a recent report revealed that Giannis‘ preferred addition to the Bucks was Bogdanovic.

Fischer writes, “For months, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brother and a Milwaukee Bucks guard, stayed in regular contact with Bogdan Bogdanovic. They spoke numerous times over the phone, sources said, with Thanasis hoping to eventually court the guard’s services this offseason. During a few calls, Giannis communicated his desire in teaming with Bogdanovic.”

“Aside from the obvious spacing Bogdanovic’s shooting would provide Milwaukee’s offense, Giannis admired his fellow European’s toughness and swagger, sources said. He viewed Bogdanovic as someone you could go to war with in the postseason.”

“Antetokounmpo grew increasingly focused on teaming with Bogdanovic. The Sacramento guard quickly presented Milwaukee’s greatest option as the Bucks dealt with a hamstrung cap sheet and limited trade assets.”

The NBA accused the Milwaukee Bucks of tampering and face an investigation for the same. As for Bogdanovic, he now will be playing for the Hawks.

What can we expect from the Bucks?

The Bucks’ fans must be gutted to see the Bogdanovic sign-in trade fail. But the signing of a quality player like Jrue Holiday is a welcome addition to the roster.

Holiday is one of the best defenders in the NBA right now and can also add points to the board. He averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 assists. He is big upgrade in the place of Eric Bledsoe.

The 2013 All-Star has also showed his prowess in the playoffs. In the 2017-18 playoffs, Holiday was the second best player in the Pelicans team averaging 23.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds each game.

The team was already solid with their defense. With a star like Holiday they will get a player who can get 20 points regularly while solidifying their defense extensively.