The Detroit Pistons will head into the trade deadline with one of the league’s most coveted players for the second year in a row.
As many as 10 teams have inquired about Bojan Bogdanovic according to recent reports, and that interest has given the Pistons some leverage, which is why they are standing firm on their asking price of an unprotected first-round pick.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one team that has consistently been mentioned as a suitor for Bogdanovic, which makes sense, as they are trying to make a run behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but could use some additional firepower.
The Detroit Pistons would love to get a future first rounder, as they still owe one to the Knicks, which will hinder them when trying to make future trades to add talent.
This has turned into an expensive game of chicken, as both teams are posturing that they won’t give in, but who is going to blink first?
Detroit Pistons: Lakers balk at price for Bojan Bogdanovic
According to insider Marc Stein (SUBSCRIPTION), the Los Angeles Lakers have said that the Detroit Pistons’ asking price for Bogdanovic is too high:
"“They (Lakers) decided in the offseason that packaging both of their available first round picks in 2027 and 2029 is too steep a price to pay to trade for the Indiana duo of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. And they also decided that trading one of those picks with no draft protections attached (along with the expiring contracts of Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn) was too high a price for Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic.”"
For their part, the Pistons have consistently held their position of not trading Bogdanovic for anything less than their asking price and will just wait out the market to see how it shapes up.
The real question is what type of protections the Lakers are looking for, as Detroit may eventually decide that making this pick lottery protected is the best offer they are going to get.
LA is trying to think of the post-LeBron years (which could be grim for them if they trade away even more picks) while the Pistons are thinking about turning the corner next season after getting Cade Cunningham back and revamping their roster around the young core.
Both teams have reason to be stubborn here, but the Pistons really have all of the leverage, as they are not trying to jump through a rapidly-closing title window as LA is. Will either team give in? We will know in less than a month.