Detroit Pistons: Is trading Bojan Bogdanovic for a late first worth it?

Detroit Pistons: Is a late first-rounder worth it?

Using this five year block as a sample, it is clear that it is possible to find a star later in the first round. There have been just under two per year on average, so those guys are almost always there, you just have to find them.

I’d say the best player of that group is probably OG Anunoby, though I could be talked into several others.

It’s obviously much easier to find a quality role player at this stage in the draft, and in this sample size there were five per year on average.

It’s probably too early to tell if any of these guys will exceed the career and current production of Bojan Bogdanovic, but there are certainly players who are in the mix and could get there if they aren’t already.

So the answer to the question of whether a late first-round pick is worth it is a very unsatisfying “it depends.”

Make the right pick and you can find a star later in the first round or even in the second, make the wrong one, and you have essentially given up a very good player for nothing.

Even though the possibility of landing a star or even a quality role player is there, the odds are still against it once you get past the 19th pick, so there is some amount of risk when trading a good player if a late first rounder is the centerpiece of the deal.