The Case For Trading Bojan Bogdanovic

With the trade deadline coming up, the Pistons have a decision to make on Bogdanovic, one of their best trade assets

Bojan Bogdanovic is arguably the Piston's best player this season. The ten-year veteran is having himself a career year, averaging 20.8 points per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 41.2% from three. He has been the Piston's best on-ball creator and the go-to guy for any clutch situation.

You may be reading this and asking why on earth would the Pistons consider trading Bogdanovic. It seems even more unlikely given the team signed him to a contract extension early in the year. However, if there is one thing we know about Pistons GM Troy Weaver it is that he is unafraid to pull the trigger on a trade. In this article, we will explore several reasons why a Bogdanovic trade may make sense.

Saddiq Bey's Development

I wanted to start the article with what I think has been one of the underrated storylines for the Pistons this year. Saddiq Bey had all the hype around him coming into this season. The third-year guard showed many flashes of potential on-ball creation last year, capped off by a 51-point performance in Orlando, and many fans believed that Bey would build on this. However, when the Bogdanovic trade occurred, Bey's role started to decrease. The Pistons initially tried starting Bogdanovic and Bey together, but with both players struggling to defend, they decided to keep Bogdanovic in the starting lineup and sent Bey to the bench. The decision was not a controversial one either, given Bey's poor shooting to start the season. Now if you are the Pistons, you have to ask yourself how invested are you in Saddiq Bey. Because if the Pistons were invested in Bey, a Bogdanovic trade would open up a spot in the starting lineup that may allow him to get back into his groove. The Pistons could run a lineup featuring Hayes-Ivey-Bey-Stewart-Duren, a young lineup, but one that lays the foundation for the Piston's future.

Trade Value At An All-Time High

One factor to consider is that Bogdanovic's trade value is at an all-time high, given his play and the fact that he is under contract for an additional year. There is no guarantee that he will continue his stellar play and with his age, this may be the best time to sell high. The main question for the Pistons is whether they envision Bogdanovic as part of the team when they turn a corner. Bogdanovic has been great for the Pistons, but if they are going to be a contender, he cannot be the primary option. If the Pistons could net a future draft pick for Bogdanovic that would allow them to add to the collection of young talent they have, why not make the trade? Some fans may be seeing this as kicking the wheel down the road, which can be true, but it all comes down to what you see Bogdanovic's role as. Likely, he would have to relegate to a third or fourth option, and then the question comes of whether you can find a better option for that role in free agency.

The Pistons were in a similar position with Jerami Grant two years ago when he was having a career year and the Celtics reportedly offered multiple first-round picks for him. It ultimately worked out for the Pistons with the Jalen Duren trade, but there is no guarantee that it will be the same with Bogdanovic

On Ball Dominance

The final point I wanted to discuss was Bogdanovic's play style. While he has been efficient, there have been many instances where Bogdanovic will have tunnel vision and look to only score for himself. There will be times when another may be open, but Bogdanovic will take a contested shot instead. This is not to bash on play style, but you wonder what value this type of play brings to a Pistons team that is focused on youth and development. Opportunities that could go to Jaden Ivey or Killian Hayes have, two players who need as much experience as possible, instead, go to Bogdanovic. It should be noted that this role is new for Bogdanovic, too. When Bogdanovic was in Utah, he was the fourth option most nights. Now he is suddenly thrust into being the number one scoring option on the team, which may explain why sometimes he may do too much. Regardless, the point stands that Bogdanovic's play style, especially for a starter, may not mesh well with what the Pistons are building.