The 2023 NBA trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and Bojan Bogdanovic — who has been the Detroit Pistons’ best scorer and is one of the hottest trade targets in the league — will be in the spotlight until the February 9 deadline passes.
The Pistons, are reluctant to part with Bogdanovic, according to multiple sources. It would likely take a first-round pick, at minimum, to get the front office’s attention. He’s averaging 21.3 points on 48.6% shooting and 41.7% shooting from 3, and on a team-friendly deal through 2025 after signing a two-year, $39.1 million contract extension in late October.
Off the floor, he has been a leader and example-setter on a young roster. Despite having the NBA’s second-worst record, the Pistons are deeply interested in improving next season and will have a tough time finding a player better than Bogdanovic for his contract.
If no deals meet their asking price, they will be happy to carry Bogdanovic, who turns 34 in April, into the offseason and evaluate the trade market from there. With another potential top-five pick incoming and Cade Cunningham’s return from shin surgery, the Pistons can bring an improved roster into next season and make a playoff push.
Here are four fake trades that would bring back an unprotected first, at minimum, to the Pistons for Bogdanovic. Every trade was confirmed using fanspo.com for salary matching purposes.
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Lakers receive: Bojan Bogdanovic
Pistons receive: G Patrick Beverley (one year, $13 million), C Damian Jones (two years, $4.9 million, player option in 2023), G Max Christie (two years, $2.7 million, restricted free agent in 2024), 2027 first (unprotected)
The Lakers have reportedly been connected to Bogdanovic since last summer, even before the Pistons acquired him from the Utah Jazz. LeBron James is still playing at an elite level and Anthony Davis is in his prime, but the Lakers entered Saturday 23-26 and out of the playoffs. Bogdanovic would give them a needed scorer, and they can include their 2027 and 2029 first-rounders in any potential deals.
I think this is the floor for a deal the Pistons would be interested in from LA. The draft pick, even unprotected, could end up being a late first-rounder since the Lakers are one of the most attractive free agency destination in the NBA and could quickly reload for a championship push after moving on from the James era. Four years is a long time in the NBA, but this is the first available pick the Lakers can offer. It’s tough to see them also parting with their 2029 pick for Bogdanovic.
Max Christie, a sweet-shooting Michigan State alumnus drafted in the second round last year, would enhance this deal and fill a roster need as a 42.1% 3-point shooter (albeit on only 57 attempts) with defensive upside. Christie is 6 feet 6 and can play shooting guard or small forward. Veteran point guard Patrick Beverley is on an expiring deal and could be flipped to a new team or bought out.
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Grizzlies receive: Bojan Bogdanovic
Pistons receive: Danny Green (one year, $10 million), Jake LaRavia (four years, $14.8 million, team options in 2024 and 2025), Xavier Tillman (two years, $3.7 million, team option in 2023), 2023 first (unprotected)
The Grizzlies are comfortably second in the Western Conference despite losing five in a row, after tying a franchise record with 11 straight wins. Thanks to strong player development and savvy trading, they’re uniquely flush with assets for a contending team. If they want Bogdanovic, they can make an offer that exceeds what any other team is likely willing to.
The 2023 pick will likely be in the late 20s this summer, but Jake LaRavia is on a team-friendly rookie deal and would fill several holes for the Pistons. A 6-7 forward, he was drafted 19th last year out of Wake Forest, and averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and one block while shooting 38.4% from 3 as a junior. He’s a high-IQ player who did everything well on offense in college, and while he doesn’t have the tools to be an elite one-on-one defender, he was a strong team defender.
Sharpshooting veteran wing Danny Green hasn’t played since tearing his ACL last May, but he’s nearing his return and on an expiring deal. He could be bought out or traded again. Michigan State alumnus Xavier Tillman was included for salary purposes and is an awkward fit on a roster that already has two young big men, but would give the team additional depth up front if they wanted to hold onto him.
Memphis could also include the Golden State Warriors’ 2024 first (top-four protected) to further sweeten the pot for the Pistons. That Warriors pick, also top-one protected in 2025 and unprotected in 2026, is likely more valuable than any other of Memphis’ own picks due Golden State’s aging core. The Grizzlies could instead offer another of their own future firsts, starting in 2025.
Suns receive: Bojan Bogdanovic
Pistons receive: Jae Crowder (one year, $10.2 million), Torrey Craig (one year, $5.1 million), Josh Okogie (one year, $1.8 million), 2023 first (unprotected), 2025 second
The Suns have slid down the standings since Devin Booker’s groin injury on Christmas. With Booker, they’re a contending team. Their core won an NBA-best 64 games last season. He could return before All-Star break, and they have incentive to beef up their roster for a playoff push.
The appeal for the Pistons is not only the unprotected first and future second, but that all three players coming back are on expiring deals. The deal would give the Pistons even more cap space this summer. Jae Crowder is holding out and hasn’t played a game this season, and the Pistons could send his expiring deal to another team. Torrey Craig has been a good fifth option in Phoenix’s starting lineup, shooting 46.1% overall and 39.4% from 3, and could be traded or retained to replace some of Bogdanovic’s floor spacing and veteran presence.
Knicks receive: Bojan Bogdanovic
Pistons receive: Evan Fournier (three years, $59.9 million, team option in 2024), Cam Reddish (one-year, $6 million, restricted free agent in 2023), 2023 first (via Detroit), 2024 second (via Detroit)
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver appears to have a good working relationship with the Knicks’ front office, swinging separate trades last summer for Jalen Duren and Kemba Walker, and then for Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and two second-round picks. Why not another one?
The Pistons sent a future first to the Houston Rockets in 2020 to acquire Isaiah Stewart, and that pick is now owned by the Knicks thanks to separate trades in 2021 between the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, and a 2022 deal between the Thunder and NY. Getting that pick back would be a win, considering it would free Detroit from the confines of the Stepien rule and give them maneuverability in the trade market. Reddish, a 2019 lottery pick, has struggled to shoot and wouldn’t have much time to audition before becoming a restricted free agent this summer. Still, including him for salary purposes would give the Pistons an intriguing young forward with defensive tools.
The downside of this deal is the Pistons would have to eat nearly $19 million in salary next season because of Fournier, who has fallen out of the rotation and is shooting a career-low 31% from 3. He has a team option in 2024, which the Pistons would almost certainly decline. Every other trade listed here would clear significant money off the books this summer. Fournier is only owed about a million less than Bogdanovic next season and wouldn’t crack the starting lineup with his current play, meaning this trade would purely be about the draft picks and Reddish.