Rate the Trade: Bojan Bogdanovic to the LA Clippers

Could the Detroit Pistons and LA Clippers make a Bogdanovic trade?

It has been an up and down season for the LA Clippers, who currently sit at 21-16. That record is good for 4th-place in the Western Conference, but with the standings so congested, seeding shifts daily. Having been fully-healthy for just four games all season, the Clippers can feel decent about where they sit as the calendar turns to 2023, but they are certainly looking to improve as the season grows older.

The first way the Clippers hope to improve as the season goes on is directly tied to their overall health, but another way is through the trade market. One name that was recently brought up by ESPN's Zach Lowe, was Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons.

Through 36 games with the Pistons this season, Bogdanovic is averaging 20.7 PPG on 48/40/90 splits. He is seemingly a prime trade candidate for a Pistons team that is not ready to compete this season, but having signed an extension through the 2024-25 season with Detroit, Bogdanovic is not the typical veteran piece on a bad team. There is a unique element to his availability in the trade market, because if Detroit does view him as a core piece to a potential playoff push in the next few seasons, they have much more leverage in trade discussions than they would have if his deal was expiring this summer.

Boasting one of the deepest rosters in basketball, the Clippers have been unable to find big minutes for all of their deserving players so far this season. After re-signing Robert Covington in the summer, the veteran forward has fallen out of the rotation entirely, and he is not the only Clipper who has seen their role decreased from last season.

After averaging a career-high 28.6 minutes per game last season, versatile wing Terance Mann has seen his minutes drop back down to just 21.0 per game this year. Sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard has seen his minutes decrease as well, going from 27.4 per game last year to just 22.3 per game this year.

Trends similar to these persist all the way down the Clippers' roster, which is somewhat predictable with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George rejoining the fold, but they do raise some questions about how the team might approach the trade deadline. Should they see it necessary to free up more minutes for their deserving players, while also making a talent upgrade at the same time, a trade for Bogdanovic could make sense.

The Clippers have enticing young pieces, future draft compensation, and expiring deals that could make a trade with Detroit possible. John Wall's name is one that has already come up in trade rumors around the league, as his $6.5M salary this season with a team option for next season is an ideal mathematical piece in several potential deals. When paired with Robert Covington's $12.3M salary, a deal for a player like Bogdanovic already becomes workable from a salary standpoint.

While two veteran players like Wall and Covington would not be enough to pry Bogdanovic from the Pistons, the addition of a young player like Brandon Boston Jr. along with future draft compensation could get the two sides closer.

As previously mentioned, the Clippers have been unable to find minutes for Robert Covington so far this season, and impactful players like Luke Kennard and Terance Mann have seen their roles decreased as well. Packaging Wall and Covington for a player like Bogdanovic gives the Clippers a clear talent upgrade while also freeing up more guard minutes at the same time. It feels unlikely that such a move would be the only one the Clippers make at this year's deadline, especially with their backup center situation remaining unaddressed, but it makes sense why Bogdanovic has come up as a potential target.