The Detroit Pistons’ acquisition of Bojan Bogdanovic this summer was always a bit of a head-scratcher.
As a player, Bogdanovic is very good at doing what he does. This season is just further proof of that. He is currently averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 42.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Bogdanovic was set to make $19.5 million in 2022-23, the final year of a four-year, $73 million contract he previously inked with the Utah Jazz. Detroit ended up giving him a two-year, $39.1 million contract extension that locks him up through 2024-25.
That said, while Bogdanovic is objectively a very good player – he doesn’t belong on a young, developing team like the Pistons. He belongs on a title contender.
As it turns out, two very good teams, one mediocre one and one terrible one all have interest in adding him before the NBA Trade Deadline. Those teams are: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.
“Detroit is partly searching for to offload Bojan Bogdanovic,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports wrote.
“The Cavaliers are indeed a Bogdanovic suitor, sources said, but it will be rather difficult, and perhaps impossible, for Cleveland to reach Detroit’s lofty asking price for the veteran sharpshooter.
“At this juncture, the Pistons are seeking at least one first-rounder and either a young player with upside or additional draft capital, sources said, plus Cleveland has company in Dallas, Phoenix and the Lakers, among other teams in pursuit of Bogdanovic.”
The asking price is undoubtedly a hefty one, but Bogdanovic has certainly proved throughout this season that he is a truly meaningful contributor in any setting. He was huge for the Jazz before the dysfunctionality tore them apart, and he is similarly strong in his current role for the Pistons.
The Suns have been linked to trades with two separate teams, so them doing something ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline seems likely. Dallas, similarly, has been connected to multiple blockbuster deals.
It’s a 2-team race for Zach LaVine if the Bulls decide to trade him. https://t.co/yUBNYYOPWO
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 4, 2023
It seems less likely that L.A. will pull off a swap for Bogdanovic, given that it appears they are throwing in the towel on this season.
Cleveland is a wild card. They are pretty good as is, but obviously could use a piece to put them over the top.
One way or another, Bogdanovic is arguably the best player available ahead of this year’s NBA Trade Deadline. Whether that will result in him actually getting dealt or not remains to be seen.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
