The Detroit Pistons have two top trade candidates in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Both veterans were among the NBA’s top scorers in their positions.
In some eyes, they represent a luxury for a rebuilding Pistons team that might be better off serving Victor Wembanyama rather than clinging to two players that could be traded for assets while the market is hot.
However, sources say the Pistons front office set a high asking price for both players. It looks like both players will still be in Detroit after the February 9 trade deadline passes, unless the team makes a big offer. The Pistons want to play next season. If no one meets their asking price, they can just take Bogdanovich and Burks out in the offseason and reprice them from there.
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- NBA cap, trading and free agent guru, Spotrac.com contributor Keith Smith joined The Pistons Pulse podcast this week to discuss the trading value of Bogdanovich and Burks and how the Pistons should operate. Smith is a fan of the 33-year-old Bogdanovich, who is averaging 21.5 points on 49.1% shooting overall and 42.3% shooting from three-point range, and believes he is underestimated in the league.
- The Pistons want a significant draft for Bogdanovich, and Smith accepts the high price.
- “He’s amazing and I don’t think he gets enough recognition for what he is for almost his entire career,” Smith said. “He can be really good. He can be your offensive mover, he can be your fourth guy. There aren’t many players in the NBA who can fill both of these roles. A lot of these guys you give them the role of third, fourth player and they disappear, they are unhappy and all that. He’s a good guy in position, he plays well away from the guy, and he’s good with the ball in his hands as the main offensive creator.”
Bogdanovic has been their best offensive player this season and is the main reason the team had better offensive possession compared to last season, although they were still ranked 28th both years, even without Cade Cunningham. The Croatian striker’s name has been in the trade rumors all season, and the Pistons have received numerous calls about his availability. So far, no team has met the asking price.
The Pistons traded for Bogdanovich in September and waived only seasoned role player Kelly Olynyk and former second-round pick Saben Lee. In late October, they extended Bogdanovich to a team-friendly $39.1 million two-year extension, with a second year partially guaranteed at $2 million. According to Smith, the exchange and expansion made a big difference and added to Bogdanovich’s value.
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Smith predicts the Pistons will have about $43.8 million in free space this summer. This gives them two ingredients to make the playoffs next season.
“I don’t know if I’d be that far off the asking price if I was Detroit because I really think he’s that good and I think there’s a spot for him on any team next year,” Smith said. “I think the goal next year should be this: this is our step forward in the season. I’m not saying that you should be (Cleveland Cavaliers) and make the jump to fourth or fifth place in the conference. But you have to aim, we have to be in the 6-10 range at least in the play. We will really strive for this and this is where we should go, only because the changeovers very quickly lose their patience, both in the players and in the head office, owners and fans. And when you lose patience with rebuilding, that’s when you make stupid mistakes and start doing really stupid things.
“You can leave it around, you’ll still have $40 million in the cap and you’ll be fine, ‘let’s put the pieces around that and we can put together a pretty good lineup.’ It’s such an interesting place for me, simply because you can go different paths with it.”
The 31-year-old Burks is averaging 13.3 points on 45% shooting and 43.6% on 3-point shooting and is one of the league’s most effective backup defensemen. Unlike Bogdanovich, Smith believes the Pistons should ditch Burks, who has a $10.5 million option on the team this offseason.
Smith likened the Pistons holding Burks to a rebuilding baseball team holding on closer. It’s nice to have, but it’s too much of a luxury for a team that needs to allocate assets elsewhere. According to him, a late first-round pick would be very useful for the Pistons if the team despaired.
“What’s really changed for me about Alec Burks the last few years is that he turned off the lights this year,” Smith said. “But the last couple of years before that, he was really good too. He’s always been a slightly more wobbly shooter. His role is really good now, he is a combo defender off the bench. You can let him control some things. He can play without the ball. He is a really good cutter.
“This conversation should be less about today, because it’s good that he plays well, but what does it give? I don’t think it does anything for you if you’re from Detroit. I’m not trying to win games now. It’s not that they’re trying to lose, but it doesn’t matter if he helps you get four more wins this year. This is a good thing? I’m not entirely sure. But when you look at it with him next year, is he worth $10 million on our books or would he be better off on someone else’s and we have $10 million in equity? Just don’t borrow money for the long term. Try to increase your flexibility even more, especially for the guys who won’t be registered anyway.”