Should the Detroit Pistons cash in on Bojan Bogdanovic now?

Just like last season with Jerami Grant, the Detroit Pistons once again have one of the hottest trade targets this season with Bojan Bogdanovic.

The Lakers are among many teams that have reportedly inquired about Bogdanovic, but thus far the Pistons seem reluctant to move on from the sharpshooter, who is having his best season in the NBA.

With so many teams reportedly asking about Bogdanovic, the Pistons have all of the leverage here, especially with a team like the Lakers, who are desperate to win now and could really use an injection of talent and shooting into their roster.

And now with the news that Cade Cunningham will be out for the season, the Pistons may be reluctant to move Bogdanovic before they’ve gotten to evaluate how he fits with their franchise player.

Troy Weaver is in a tricky position here and how he plays this will have a big effect on the team’s immediate and long-term future.

Should the Detroit Pistons trade Bojan Bogdanovic now?

This is a decision that the Detroit Pistons have to get right. Bogdanovic is really one of the only trade assets they have, so they can’t move him without the right coffer of assets coming back.

But not moving him also presents some amount of risk, so you can bet that Troy Weaver and the Detroit front office are weighing all of the pros and cons of patience vs. acting now.

I’ve seen a lot of fans making their cases and both sides have some valid points, as there is risk/reward involved with any decision when it comes to Bojan Bogdanovic.

So should they trade him now? No and yes.

The Detroit Pistons should keep Bojan Bogdanovic

I think the argument for keeping Bogdanovic is simple: At some point you have to choose talent over hope if you really want to “restore” this franchise.

Bogdanovic is a damn good player, so moving him for a distant pick is just kicking the can down the road again and telling fans you have no plans on winning for the next season or two. Has anyone else had enough of this?

We didn’t get to see much of Bojan with Cade, but a shooter like him is always going to be a fit around a guy who creates gravity and makes plays, so we can assume the two will be just fine together even though the sample size is small so far.

Sure, a trade for another star could present itself at some point, but the reality is that Bogdanovic is probably better than any player they are going to get in free agency, and is a guy they would have targeted had he not been traded to Detroit and subsequently extended.

Any trade for Bogdanovic is going to make the Pistons worse now and there is not guarantee there will be a payoff for more losing, as the packages being floated around mostly revolve around protected 1st-round picks.

Even if the Pistons lucked out and got a really good player in the draft outside of the lottery, it will be years before that player is on the level of Bogdanovic and in reality, it’s unlikely that anyone they draft will end up being as good.

This guy is scoring 20+ points and is just percentage points from the 50/40/90 club. There have been six players in the HISTORY OF THE NBA who have done that. Good luck getting that kind of production from an unknown in the draft.

Pistons fans have been patient, but you can’t sell hope forever, and if the team stinks again next season, you can expect fans to start calling for the heads of Dwane Casey and even Troy Weaver, which is happening in some circles already.

There’s also the fact that they can always move Bogdanovic later after they’ve seen how this team all fits together and what they can add next offseason. His value is probably the highest it’s ever going to be, but if it tops out at a protected first-round pick and a bunch of garbage players, who really cares?

I guarantee you that there will be a late first round pick available for Bogdanovic if they decide to trade him next season, when he would only have one partially-guaranteed year left on his contract.

At some point you have to try to win, otherwise what is the point?

The Detroit Pistons should trade Bojan Bogdanovic now

I think the argument for trading Bogdanovic now is also a simple one: His value will never be higher and this team is a still a long way from being good.

If there are truly as many as 12 teams inquiring about Bogdanovic, then the Detroit Pistons could have a bidding war on their hands which could end with someone overpaying. The Lakers are posturing about protections, but they may give in and dump both of their first round picks for Bogs at some point.

And if they don’t, there are 11 other teams out there (at least) who have young players or future picks to offer. The Pistons need to recoup the pick that they lost in the Isaiah Stewart trade, as the protections that are on it are stopping them from having a 1st-round pick to add to a potential trade for a star.

Bogdanovic will be 34-years-old at the beginning of next season and there is no guarantee that he’ll be as good or as healthy as he gets older. Players often dip quickly, just ask Kemba Walker, who went from All-Star to afterthought in the span of a season. If Bogdanovic were to get injured or decline in production, he’d have virtually no value on the trade market and the Pistons risk being stuck with an aging player who really can’t help them.

For the Pistons to have sustainable success, they need to have some picks in the pipeline that they can use in trades or potentially to draft another star. If the Lakers are willing to give up a future unprotected first, the Pistons would almost have to do it, as LA could very well be terrible by 2027.

Ask the Pelicans how that is working out for them, as they are the best team in the Western Conference right now and will likely be choosing in the lottery anyway as they did last season, courtesy of the Lakers.

It may seem like a long time to wait, but when the Pistons are a playoff team in 2027 and still get to add a top-10 pick, no one will be complaining about losing a player who is no longer in the league.

I really think it’s a tough call, but one that Troy Weaver needs to get right. Trade Bogdanovic too early and you are setting your team up to be bad for another season. Sell him too late and you may lose out on a chance at sustainable success.