For the second straight season, the biggest question hanging over the Detroit Pistons is whether they are going to trade their best veteran player at the deadline.
Talk around Bojan Bogdanovic has cooled in recent days, mostly because the Pistons seem unwilling to come down from their asking price, and for good reason. Bogdanovic is a very good player on a reasonable contract and the type of guy they will need if they are going to be competitive next season, which is their stated goal.
Most fans would rather the team just keep Bogdanovic than to give him away for nothing more than a late first-round pick, and it’s starting to appear as if that is exactly what is going to happen.
It will take a team desperate enough to meet the Pistons’ demands and offer them a big return for the 33-year-old, who is having one of his best seasons in the NBA.
Whether that happens is yet to be seen, but there are four teams in the Western Conference who are growing increasingly desperate by the day and may look to add talent to stop their slide in the standings.
Detroit Pistons: 4 teams desperate enough to trade for Bojan Bogdanovic
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have only won three of their last 10 games and are now just a game over .500 for the season.
Luka Doncic is once-again putting up MVP numbers and his teammates are once again letting him down, as he has arguably the worst supporting cast of any of the MVP candidates this season.
Eventually he is going to get tired of being a one-man band, so the Mavericks are desperate to add some talent around Luka to keep him happy.
Recently the Mavs were mentioned as a possibility for both Bogdanovic and Nerlens Noel, though there would likely need to be a third team involved to make it happen. With more buyers than sellers, the Mavericks may find it hard to get impact talent to help Luka and come calling to the Detroit Pistons with a big-time offer.
Detroit Pistons: 4 teams desperate enough to trade for Bojan Bogdanovic
Phoenix Suns
The Suns have won four in a row to pull themselves up to the 7th seed in the Western Conference, but they are at a minor crossroads as a franchise.
Do they decide to go for it again this season or potentially try to move Chris Paul in a soft rebuild around Devin Booker?
If it’s the former, then they might have some interest in Bogdanovic, and I’ve written before that they may have the best trade package for him of any of the “contending” teams. The Suns just have to decide whether they think they are contenders.
Portland Trail Blazers
After a red-hot start, the Trail Blazers have plummeted in the standings and are now three games below .500 on the season.
According to Bleacher Report, the Blazers have no plans to start tanking, even though their playoff hopes are dwindling with each loss:
"“The struggling Portland Trail Blazers are intensely engrossed in improving the roster with the trade deadline approaching, and they are said to be listening to all overtures, league sources tell Bleacher Report. The organization remains committed to being opportunistic and creative in trying to surround franchise star Damian Lillard with a roster capable of competing with the best. There are no plans to tank this season, sources say.”"
They have a guy in Josh Hart who the Pistons might like, and him along with another expiring contract and a protected first-round pick could be something Detroit would consider.
Detroit Pistons: 4 teams desperate enough to trade for Bojan Bogdanovic
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have lost five in a row, dropping from the 1st-seed to the 4th in the last few weeks, mostly because they are missing their two best players.
The Pels once looked like the best team in the NBA, but Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have both missed significant time this season, so their depth is getting tested. They are leaning heavily on CJ McCollum and could use some insurance for their oft-injured stars.
Both Zion and BI are supposed to be back soon, but Pelicans’ fans have been hearing that for weeks and are starting to get restless.
New Orleans is better equipped to make a trade than any other team in the NBA, as they have expiring contracts, young talent and seemingly endless draft picks to put on the table. They could continue to ride this out, but if they keep losing and their stars don’t come back soon, expect them to make a move at the deadline to help bolster their ranks.
Bogdanovic would fit well on their roster and the Pelicans have draft picks that might entice the Detroit Pistons, so they are a team to watch.