NBA Trade News: League Looking Into Possible Tampering On Botched Bogdanovic Deal

The Milwaukee Bucks could suffer a double whammy with reports that the NBA will be investigating the failed transaction which could have sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to the franchise.

Bogdanovic never consented to move to Milwaukee, but the timing of the report has raised questions about possible tampering.

Word of Bogdanovic possibly headed to the Bucks via sign-and-trade came out late Monday from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN citing sources. However, players are not permitted to negotiate with teams until Friday, 6:00 p.m. ET.

Hence, the NBA is now looking into the matter to see if any violations were made per Marc Stein of the New York Times. Both the Bucks and Sacramento Kings never officially announced anything.

Regardless, this further dampens the possibility of Milwaukee trying to revive the trade. Bogdanovic is set to hit free agency and weight out offers pitched to him.

Part of that botched trade was Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson. Of those names, Ilyasova has already been waived by the Bucks.

This development may have shut the door on any chances of salvaging anything tied to Bogdanovic. They are working on a tight budget and the investigation further casts a dark cloud on any possible deal.

At about the same time the Bogdanovic deal was revealed, Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans was another player announced to be headed to the Bucks.

As mentioned in a previous report, the Bucks sent Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and three first-round picks. The deal also included a pair of pick swaps.

Tampering is something sensitive that the league takes seriously. However, investigating it fully is nearly impossible, NBC Sports reported. That includes proving that the Bucks did touch base with Bogdanovic before players and teams were allowed to transact.

Right now, the only basis is the report from Wojnarowski who could end up revealing his source.

Regardless of what happens, the only thing certain here is that Bogdanovic will be suiting up for another team. The Kings had offered him a new package, but the Serbian thumbed it down.

Acquiring Bogdanovic would have boosted the chances of the Bucks in locking up Giannis Antetokounmpo. "The Greek Freak" has yet to sign a new lease, a supermax deal expected to span five years.