The Detroit Pistons made one deal on NBA trade deadline day, but held onto two of the more coveted trade assets on the market as Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline passed.
Forward Bojan Bogdanovic and guard Alec Burks both will remain on the roster entering the summer. Pistons third-year general manager Troy Weaver set a high asking price for both and no team met it on a wild morning and afternoon around the league.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey after Wednesday’s loss in Cleveland called Burks and Bogdanovic “the perfect fit for our rebuilding program, and we’re ready to take off and go forward next year. Those two guys are just important pieces now and also going forward.”
Instead, the Pistons went in a different direction, trading wings Saddiq Bey and Kevin Knox in exchange for center James Wiseman in a three-team deal with Golden State and Atlanta.
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The Pistons have insisted they’re ready to take the next step in the rebuild in 2023-24, and Bogdanovic and Burks are helpful in that regard, despite both being on the wrong side of 30. Weaver before this season said the team was entering the “competing stage,” but that did not happen. The Pistons are 14-42, tied for the most losses in the NBA, ensuring their 14th season in 15 years without a winning record.
Bogdanovic, who turns 34 in April, signed a two-year, $39.1 million contract extension Oct. 30 to bypass unrestricted free agency this summer. He was acquired last September in a deal that sent Kelly Olynyk and 2020 second-round pick Saben Lee to the Utah Jazz. Bogdanovic has averaged 21.3 points in 53 games this season, shooting 41.6% on six 3-point attempts per game (2.5 makes).
The Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams hot for Bogdanovic over the past month, but the Pistons wanted a big return, including a lightly or unprotected first-round pick. LA pivoted to acquiring D’Angelo Russell in a giant three-team deal late Wednesday.
Burks turns 32 in July, and the Pistons have a $10.5 million team option to bring him back for next season. He has averaged 13 points and 2.2 assists this season in 43 games, shooting a career best 42.1% on 3-pointers (1.9 makes on 4.6 attempts per game).
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We’ll have a special live edition Thursday night of our podcast “The Pistons Pulse,” after the trade deadline, starting at 8 p.m. on YouTube. You can interact during the broadcast and watch below. Podcast episodes drop every Tuesday morning. Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you load up podcasts, or at freep.com/podcasts. Thank you for supporting the show.