Donte DiVincenzo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks To Acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic From Kings In Sign-And-Trade

November 17th, 2020 at 12:12am CST by Luke Adams

UPDATE: This deal has fallen apart. Read the details here.

The Bucks will acquire restricted free agent swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Kings in a sign-and-trade deal once free agency opens, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Sources tell Wojnarowski that Milwaukee will send Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, and Ersan Ilyasova to Sacramento in the deal, while the Bucks will also receive forward Justin James from the Kings (Twitter links).

Multiple reports in recent weeks indicated that the Bucks had interest in Bogdanovic and would pursue him in a sign-and-trade scenario. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reiterated that interest tonight in the wake of Milwaukee’s agreement to acquire Jrue Holiday, tweeting that Bogdanovic was also being eyed by the Hawks.

Still, even in the wake of O’Connor’s report, we didn’t expect to learn so early in the week that the Kings and Bucks have already reached an agreement. Since Bogdanovic will technically be a free agent, he and Milwaukee aren’t supposed to have any contact until Friday, so the NBA likely won’t be thrilled that news of this deal has already leaked.

Bogdanovic enjoyed arguably the best season of his three-year NBA career in 2019/20, averaging 15.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .440/.372/.741 shooting in 61 contests (29.0 MPG). He earned a promotion to the starting lineup in January, displacing Buddy Hield, and helped lead the Kings to a 16-12 record during his 28 games as a starter.

Re-signing Bogdanovic was believed to be a priority for the Kings, so it’s a little surprising that the team is prepared to move him in a sign-and-trade deal. However, former general manager Vlade Divac seemed more committed to the 28-year-old Serbian than new GM Monte McNair.

The Kings’ willingness to move on from Bogdanovic is good news for the Bucks, who have reshaped their lineup with this move and the acquisition of Holiday, putting themselves in a great position to sell Giannis Antetokounmpo on signing a five-year, super-max contract extension this fall.

As for the Kings, they’re likely not viewing Ilyasova’s expiring $7MM contract as a major asset, and Wilson is coming off a disappointing third season. DiVincenzo is the headliner of their package, having averaged 9.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .455/.336/.733 in 66 games (23.0 MPG) last year for Milwaukee. He’s a strong perimeter defender who – at age 23 – still has plenty of room to improve and is under contract for two more years before reaching restricted free agency.

It’s not yet clear what Bogdanovic’s new contract with the Bucks will look like, but the deal must span at least three seasons, with a guaranteed first year. Based on Milwaukee’s outgoing salary, he could receive a starting salary of up to approximately $18MM, assuming Ilyasova’s salary becomes guaranteed. However, the Bucks will have to be conscious of the hard cap — as a result of acquiring a player via sign-and-trade, they’ll be unable to surpass a team salary of $138,928,000 in 2020/21.

The base year compensation rule will also apply to Bogdanovic’s new deal and will complicate salary-matching to some extent, though the inclusion of James should prevent it from becoming an issue for Sacramento.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Budenholzer, Offseason, Korver

September 9th, 2020 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo badly wanted to play in Game 5 on Tuesday night despite his right ankle sprain, expressing a willingness to play on one leg. However, as Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, the Bucks prioritized Antetokounmpo’s health over any potential short-term gain, and the reigning MVP appreciates the decision to protect him.

“We have people in the team sometimes that have a bigger say than you and they have to protect you,” Antetokounmpo said. “They have to protect your health no matter what and it’s good. There’s a lot of cases, previous cases in the past that put the team over the player’s health and I love my organization for that, I appreciate that they protected me.

“… I wanted to play. Everybody – you know I wanted to play, I know I wanted to play, my coach knows I wanted to play, but at the end of the day, our organization put my health over Game 5 and that’s big for me.”

With the Bucks’ season now over, all eyes will be on Antetokounmpo’s future. As we detailed late on Tuesday night, Giannis has already said he won’t ask to be traded, but we still don’t know whether or not he’ll sign a super-max extension when the club offers it this fall.

Passing on that extension would result in all sorts of Giannis-related trade speculation, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. However, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) outlines, it’s possible Antetokounmpo may prefer to wait on finalizing an extension even if he wants to remain with the Bucks. The same deal – a five-year max with the Bucks worth 35% of the cap and beginning in 2021/22 – would be available for Giannis during the 2021 offseason.

For now, teams are projecting no salary cap increase for the next couple years, per Marks. But by the ’21 offseason, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks would have a better idea of the cap outlook going forward. It’s possible at that time that the Defensive Player of the Year would want to sign a shorter-term contract to maintain flexibility and to potentially capitalize on a cap increase down the road by waiting to lock in a longer-term contract.

Here’s more on Giannis and the Bucks:

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype spoke to a pair of GMs, two team executives, and a scout about the Bucks’ outlook, including Giannis’ future, Mike Budenholzer‘s status, and the rest of the club’s roster. The consensus among Scotto’s sources is that it’s hard to read too much into bubble results and that Milwaukee shouldn’t be in a rush to make major changes. “I think they’re good enough to win,” an Eastern Conference GM said. “We definitely overreact to certain things. They’re a contending championship team. It’s like OKC back in the day. Play it out. If Giannis leaves, he leaves. His brother is on the team, for crying out loud.”
Another Eastern Conference executive who spoke to Scotto offered the following assessment: “If it were my decision, I think you run it back next year with the same squad. I think over the summer, Giannis will learn to extend past the 3-point line consistently. Then, if things aren’t looking good at the deadline next year, you see what you can get for (Khris) Middleton, (Eric) Bledsoe, (Donte) DiVincenzo.”
John Hollinger of The Athletic isn’t convinced that Budenholzer’s coaching style is destined to fail in the postseason. Hollinger concedes that the Bucks head coach made some mistakes against Miami, but contends that a bad matchup and some bad luck largely contributed to the club’s early playoff exit.
Veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver, whose contract with the Bucks is expiring, told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that he’ll talk to his family before making a decision on his NBA future. His teammate Marvin Williams announced on Tuesday night that he has decided to retire, but it’s not clear if the 39-year-old Korver will follow suit.

Bucks Exercising 2020/21 Options On DiVincenzo, Wilson

October 24th, 2019 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

3:50pm: Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirms (via Twitter) that the Bucks are exercising Wilson’s fourth-year option in addition to DiVincenzo’s third-year option. Wilson’s 2020/21 option is worth $4,548,280.

2:45pm: The Bucks are picking up their third-year option on Donte DiVincenzo‘s rookie contract, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). DiVincenzo is already on a guaranteed contract this season, but this move will lock in his $3,044,160 cap charge for the 2020/21 league year.

DiVincenzo, who won a pair of NCAA championships during his time at Villanova, was the 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft, but was limited to 27 games during his rookie season due to foot problems. The 22-year-old averaged just 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .403/.265/.750 shooting in 15.2 minutes per contest.

Despite a disappointing first year, the Bucks still believe in DiVincenzo, whose modest rookie contract would become a bargain if he develops into a reliable rotation player. Milwaukee’s next decision on the shooting guard will be due on October 31, 2020, when the team has to exercise or decline his $4,675,830 option for 2021/22.

As our tracker of rookie scale option decisions for 2020/21 shows, the Bucks also have a decision to make this year on D.J. Wilson‘s fourth-year option. That one’s a safe bet to be picked up too, so the team will likely announce both moves at the same time.

Bucks’ DiVincenzo To Miss Rest Of Season

March 27th, 2019 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

The injuries continue to pile up for the Bucks, who will be without rookie sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo for the rest of the 2018/19 season, according to Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

League sources tell Andrews and Wojnarowski that DiVincenzo is suffering from bilateral heel bursitis in his right foot. Per the ESPN duo, the former Final Four MVP met with Bucks doctors and specialists, and a determination was made that rest and rehabilitation is the best course of action. The team expects DiVincenzo to make a complete recovery in the offseason.

The 17th overall pick out of Villanova, DiVincenzo will finish his rookie season having averaged 4.9 PPG on .403/.265/.750 shooting in just 27 games (15.2 MPG).

The injury is the fourth one to hit the Bucks since Malcolm Brogdon was diagnosed with a minor plantar fascia tear in his right foot on March 16. Nikola Mirotic (thumb) and Pau Gasol (ankle) have also been knocked out of action within the last week.

While Brogdon and Mirotic are noteworthy losses for the Bucks, Gasol and DiVincenzo were unlikely to play much – if at all – for Milwaukee in the postseason. The club hopes to have both Brogdon and Mirotic back in its lineup by the second round.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/16/19

January 16th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by clarkcrum

Here are Wednesday’s NBA G League assignment and recalls from across the league:

The Grizzlies have recalled big man Ivan Rabb from their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, per an official tweet from the team. In 51 career games in Memphis, Rabb has averaged 4.7 points in 11.9 minutes per game.
The Hawks assigned guard Tyler Dorsey to the Erie BayHawks, the team’s G League affiliate, per a tweet from the official BayHawks account. In his first G League appearance of the season earlier today, Dorsey went off for 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists in a win over the Wisconsin Herd.
The Clippers have recalled rookie guard Jerome Robinson from their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, per an official tweet from the team. In his eight games so far this season in Los Angeles, Robinson has averaged 2.9 points in 5.0 minutes per game.
The Bucks assigned both Donte DiVincenzo and Christian Wood to the Wisconsin Herd in time for today’s game against the BayHawks, per a release from the team. Wood is averaging a team-high 27.7 points per game with the Herd while DiVincenzo has averaged 17.3 points per game in his three games.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/29/18

December 29th, 2018 at 8:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Rockets have assigned veteran guard Brandon Knight to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. This will be the second G League trip of the year for Knight, who is working his way back after missing a year and a half with an ACL tear. Knight has seen limited minutes in six games with Houston since returning to action.
The Raptors sent Malachi Richardson to their Raptors 905 affiliate, according to a tweet from the G League team. Richardson has appeared in 19 games for Toronto, but is only seeing 5.0 minutes per night.
The Jazz tweeted that they have recalled Tony Bradley from the Salt Lake City Stars. Bradley has made several trips back and forth to the G League, but has yet to play in an NBA game this season.
The Bucks recalled Donte DiVincenzo from their Wisconsin affiliate, according to a tweet from the team. The rookie guard had 17 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Herd last night.
The Kings recalled Harry Giles after sending him to Stockton for Friday’s game, the team announced on its website. Giles had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his latest G league trip.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/28/18

December 28th, 2018 at 7:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Kings assigned big man Harry Giles to the Stockton Kings, according to a team press release. Giles has appeared in 22 games for Sacramento in his rookie season, posting 5.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 10.1 MPG, but has only played six games this month.
The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s PR department tweets. The Stars face the Austin Spurs on Friday. Bradley is averaging 14.6 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 14 G League contests this season.
The Hornets recalled forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte Graham from the Greensboro Swarm, according to a team press release. Bacon had 19 points and nine rebounds in the Swarm’s win over the Maine Red Claws on Thursday. He has appeared in 17 games with Charlotte, averaging 5.5 PPG in 12.3 MPG. Graham totaled 30 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Swarm on Thursday. He’s appeared in 13 Hornets games.
The Heat assigned shooting guard Dion Waiters to Sioux Falls, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Waiters is expected to practice twice with the G League team and rejoin the Heat on Sunday, Chiang adds. Waiters hasn’t played this season after undergoing ankle surgery last winter.
The Bucks assigned rookie guard Donte DiVincenzo to the Wisconsin Herd, according to a team press release. DiVincenzo, the 17th pick of the draft has appeared in 22 games with the Bucks, averaging 5.0 PPG in 16.1 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/24/18

December 24th, 2018 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Bucks recalled guard Donte DiVincenzo and forward Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, the team’s PR department tweets. Both started in the Herd’s loss to the Stockton Kings on Saturday. DiVincenzo scored 14 points in 28 minutes, while Wood racked up 34 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 38 minutes.
The Rockets recalled big man Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. In five games with the Vipers, Hartenstein is averaging 20.0 PPG, 13.2 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 31.2 MPG.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/19/18

December 19th, 2018 at 8:15pm CST by clarkcrum

Below are today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Jazz have assigned rookie guard Grayson Allen and big man Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, per a press release from the team. Allen has averaged 16.8 PPG in four G League contests this season, while Bradley has posted 14.8 PPG in 12 contests with the Stars.
The Kings have assigned rookie big man Harry Giles to their G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, per an official media release from the team. In his lone G League appearance earlier this season, Giles poured in 30 points on 62% shooting.
The Grizzlies have assigned big man Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate, per a tweet from the the team’s communications department. Rabb, who was recently named the G League player of the week, has averaged 24.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for the Hustle so far this season.
The Bucks have assigned rookie guard Donte DiVincenzo to their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in anticipation of the Herd’s game against the Memphis Hustle tomorrow night. It will be DiVincenzo’s G League debut, per a tweet from the Bucks’ official Twitter account.
The Rockets recalled rookie big man Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s G League affiliate, in time for tonight’s game against the Wizards, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Hartenstein, 20, has averaged 2.1 PPG in 21 contests during his rookie season.

John Henson Has Surgery On His Left Wrist

November 28th, 2018 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 28: Henson underwent successful surgery, the team announced on its website. The Bucks are hoping he will be back for the playoffs or maybe even earlier, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

NOVEMBER 16: Bucks backup center John Henson will undergo surgery after being diagnosed with a torn ligament in his left wrist, the team announced today in a press release. Henson initially sustained the injury on November 6 before reporting additional discomfort after Milwaukee’s game on Wednesday, per the club.

While the Bucks don’t provide a specific timeline on Henson’s recovery in their announcement, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the big man is expected to be sidelined for at least the next 12 weeks. While Henson plans to return this season, it likely won’t happen until after February’s All-Star break, according to Charania.

It’s a tough break for the Bucks and for Henson, who had been giving the team solid minutes as Brook Lopez‘s backup at the five. In 14 games (13.4 MPG), the 27-year-old had recorded 5.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG. He has even added a three-point shot to his game this season under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, making 0.8 threes per game at a 35.5% rate.

With Henson on the shelf, Thon Maker figures to take on a larger role off Milwaukee’s bench, while Christian Wood could also get a chance to earn minutes.

The Bucks’ update today also notes that Donte DiVincenzo will miss at least the next three games after suffering a minor left quadriceps strain. Pat Connaughton figures to be first in line to help replace DiVincenzo’s production.