Financial Constraints Make a Bojan Bogdanovic Trade Difficult For Raptors
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With Rudy Gobert heading to Minnesota and trade rumors swirling around Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz appear heading toward a rebuild and everyone is expected to be available.
For the Toronto Raptors, the name Bojan Bogdanovic has popped up as a potential trade target. Though nothing is imminent, there have reportedly been rumblings connecting Toronto to Bogdanovic, ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on the Lowe Post Podcast.
"If the Jazz and Raptors do a trade, I think Bogdanovic would be the guy going to Toronto, not Donovan Mitchell," he told Zach Lowe. "I've heard rumblings there. Nothing imminent or anything close to it, but I think he's a guy. The Raptors could certainly use a 6-foot-8 shooter like Bogdanovic and for the Jazz in a rebuild, obviously, they're going to try to move him."
The hiccup in a deal, however, is Bogdanovic's contract, an expiring deal worth $19.3 million this season. For salary matching purposes, Toronto would have to cobble together about $15 million in outgoing salary to swing a deal with the Jazz. In that respect, the Raptors' options are limited.
Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr. are all way more valuable than Bogdanovic to include in a trade. Chris Boucher and Otto Porter Jr. cannot be traded, having just signed a new contract. That leaves the Raptors, in theory, with one trade package that would have to include Thad Young, who signed an extension with Toronto this summer making him trade eligible, Khem Birch, and one more small salary player. While a deal like that would work on paper, the Raptors would presumably have to send a draft pick back to the Jazz in order to sweeten the package and that would likely make the trade unpalatable for Toronto.
As a nearly 40% three-point shooter for his career, Bogdanovic's offensive arsenal would certainly help Toronto, but his salary is more likely to create problems the Raptors can't get past.
Further Reading
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