Bojan Bogdanovic to Mavs? 3-Team Trade with Cavs & Pistons That Could Work

The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to Detroit Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic in NBA trade rumors. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked to Mavs’ Tim Hardaway Jr. Could a three-team trade between the Mavs, Cavs and Pistons be an option?

Here at DallasBasketball.com, we have a long-standing tradition of surveying the NBA trade landscape while also trying to pinpoint potential opportunities for the Dallas Mavericks. 

Sometimes our theories simply don’t materialize, but then other times they do — like last season when we brought up the idea of a potential Kristaps Porzingis trade with the Washington Wizards involving Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans 24 hours before it happened.

When looking at the recent trade rumors involving the Mavs, these three assumptions are the basis today’s three-team trade idea:

1) The Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in Mavs veteran shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., despite the $34 million remaining on his contract after this season.

2) The Mavs are interested in Detroit Pistons veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic — just not at the expense of a first-round pick.

3) There’s a chance the Pistons might not get the first-round pick they would reportedly want for Bogdanovic. Even the Los Angeles Lakers, who could use Bogdanovic’s services more than any team, are reluctant to give up a future first-round pick for the 33-year-old vet with $39 million remaining on his contract over two more seasons after this season.

The league-worst Pistons could always choose to hang onto Bogdanovic, but he doesn’t really fit their timeline, and he also might want to be in more of a winning situation for the latter part of his career. 

With all of this in mind, here’s our three-team trade proposal:

Mavs receive: Bojan Bogdanovic

Cavs receive: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Pistons receive: Caris LeVert, Frank Ntilikina, two second-round picks

If reports of Mavs’ interest in Bogdanovic and Cavs’ interest in Hardaway are true, both teams get what they want in this scenario. The Pistons don’t necessarily get what they want, but again, they might not get a first-round pick from any team.

Detroit currently has about $48 million in projected cap space for the upcoming summer. This particular trade idea could bump that up near $70 million if that’s the route they’d want to take.

According to a recent report by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the Pistons would likely demand “the Mavericks' 2027 first-round pick (probably with a player like Davis Bertans, whose contract isn't pretty)." If that’s the case, how about two second-rounders instead of a first, plus a player like LeVert, who is on an expiring contract?

There are many other scenarios out there for the Mavs, but it appears that for the second consecutive season, GM Nico Harrison is open to shaking things up a bit and working the phones. Let’s see if anything materializes this time around.

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