NBA Rumors: Lakers, Knicks, Bucks in Bojan Bogdanović Trade Talks Before Deadline
A number of teams are reportedly interested in Bojan Bogdanović as Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline approaches.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic listed the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks as interested suitors but cautioned "none of those three really has anything that would entice the Pistons to part ways with the 33-year-old forward who is having the best offensive season of his career. It feels like a third team would have to get involved."
Given the presence of the play-in tournament, there aren't many teams that are out of contention and would be natural sellers.
Detroit is one of those teams at 14-42, and moving Bogdanović for draft capital or young players could help accelerate a rebuild around franchise cornerstones such as Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
Yet he is also under contract with the Pistons through the 2024-25 season, so there is no pressing need to trade him before he potentially leaves as a free agent during the upcoming offseason. If the team doesn't get the return package it is looking for, it could see Bogdanović as someone who could help it challenge in the Eastern Conference down the line.
He has played well this season and is averaging a career-best 21.4 points per game.
The journeyman who has also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz is an impressive shooter and is hitting 42 percent of his triples this season.
That shooting would play well in Los Angeles and Milwaukee, as defenders collapse around LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise those teams are potentially interested.
Many of the headline names who were a focus of the deadline have already been moved as well in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant (per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski) and Russell Westbrook, so secondary contributors who can still play key roles in the playoff push figure to take center stage as Thursday's deadline approaches.
Bogdanović fits that bill as an offensive weapon who could thrive shooting alongside a superstar, and the Pistons have some leverage in these trade discussions.
