New Proposed Trade Idea Sees Atlanta Send Bogdan Bogdanovic to Philadelphia For Multiple Draft Picks

Will the Hawks trade Bogdan Bogdanovic this summer?

Dec 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) shoots against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks are facing a crucial offseason and it seems like this roster is heading for a shakeup. That does not mean that every single player that is mentioned in trade rumors is going to be traded, but this team is likely to look much different when October rolls around. Atlanta will likely move one of either Trae Young or Dejounte Murray and breakup that backcourt pairing, veteran players like Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic could be moved, and Atlanta has to decide what to do with the No. 1 pick. It is a pivotal offseason for the Hawks front office to try and reshape this roster.

While he did not win the award (he should have), Bogdan Bogdanovic was one of the best 6th men in the NBA last season and one of the best players on the Hawks last season. While that is true, could the Hawks look to move him while his trade value is probably at its highest? I think it would take a heck of a deal to move Bogdanovic, but nothing should be off the table this offseason. Bleacher Report's Dan Favale proposed a trade to send Bogdanovic to Philadelphia for a pair of draft picks:

Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Bogdan Bogdanović

Atlanta Hawks Receive: No. 16 pick, Milwaukee's 2027 second-round pick

"Any trade idea for the Sixers is beyond fluid until we see how much cap space they carve out and then how they go about deploying said spending power. Chances are, though, they will be left with enough wiggle room to flat-out absorb a sizable salary or two in a trade that meaningfully beefs up their rotation.

Identifying those scenarios is at once easy and difficult. Potentially chiseling out more than $60 million in space renders the Sixers ridiculously flexible, and they will have up to five first-round picks to use as sweeteners. But they won't have actual players to dangle, a possible deal-breaker for teams sending out quality names who aren't overly concerned with their payroll.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, the Hawks will almost assuredly be mindful of their operating costs. After winning the draft lottery, they will enter the offseason (just barely) inside the luxury tax. The combination of Atlanta's track record and the quality of its roster suggests that won't stand.

Ducking the tax is simpler than dealing a pivotal player like Bogdanović. The Hawks could skirt the line in a Dejounte Murray trade or unload a smaller standalone salary. But landing the No. 1 pick and the inevitability of dealing Murray or Trae Young lends itself to more wholesale recalibrations.

Even if this doesn't trigger a rebuild (and it probably won't), Atlanta could look to spruce up its cap sheet as it prepares for Jalen Johnson's next deal to kick in during the 2025-26 campaign. Picking up an additional first-rounder for someone who turns 32 in August is a reasonable return. Atlanta can push for a later pick, in a year it doesn't control its own, if this framework doesn't whet its whistle.

This exact construction should be a no-brainer for the Sixers (cap space-pending). Bogdanović is a career 38.4 percent shooter from distance on over eight attempts per 36 minutes and brings more on-ball scoring pizzazz than Buddy Hield and more playmaking than Kelly Oubre Jr."

Nothing can be ruled out, but I can't tell you how much I hate this trade for the Hawks. While the team has made cost cutting moves and done salary dumps in the past (Kevin Huerter and John Collins), this would not be getting equal value back for Bogdanovic. The No. 16 pick in a perceived weak draft + a second rounder from Milwaukee is not enough value for a guy that should have won 6th Man of the Year last season.

Bogdanovic averaged 16.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG while shooting 37% from three and 43% from the field. He set the Hawks single-season franchise record for three-pointers in a single season. PerCleaning the Glass, Bogdanovic had a positive point differential of +11.9 when on the floor, the highest mark for anyone on the Hawks.

When picking his winners for the NBA Awards, ESPN's Zach Lowe had Bogdanovic finishing in third place as a finalist for the award, behind Reid and Monk.

Here is what Lowe had to say about Bogndonovic's case to be a finalist, including his statement that he thought he would get some first-place votes.

"Some voters argue that rewarding Bogdanovic and Reid for their contributions as replacement starters cuts against the idea of an award intended for reserves. (I wrote extensively about Bogdanovic's case here.) I have always rejected that, dating to Lamar Odom's heyday. The ability to shape-shift -- to take on whatever role the team needs -- is baked into the concept of a sixth man, or "sixth starter." Players are eligible as long as they come off the bench in more games than they start. (Josh Hart is barely ineligible for this reason.)

Both Reid and Bogdanovic should get some first-place votes."

Bogdanovic was not a finalist, though I think you can make the case that he should have been and he is one of the biggest snubs of the award nominees. Trading him for a trade package like this would not be a good move for the Hawks this offseason.