The NBA trade deadline is approaching the Detroit Pistons have a big decision to make about Bojan Bogdanovic.
Most of the reported offers have been underwhelming and the Pistons have held their position that they would be comfortable just keeping the sharpshooter if the right deal does not surface.
Detroit is not one or two players away from being good, but giving up one of their only productive veterans could be seen as a step back.
That is why any trade involving Bogdanovic should involve a player the Pistons think can actual help them and not just be a matching salary that leaves after the season.
Detroit Pistons: Trading Bojan Bogdanovic could help the defense
Detroit needs a whole change of culture, and it start by improving the woeful defense, which is the worst in team history for the second year in a row.
The Pistons need some players who can defend, especially on the wing, and ones who care about that end of the floor, as right now they have some of the worst individual defenders in the NBA, and that includes Bogdanovic, who has the highest defensive rating of any starter in the league.
I agree that the Detroit Pistons shouldn’t take another step back by dealing Bogdanovic for nothing more than draft assets or unproven players, which is why the Portland Trail Blazers should be one of their targets in a trade.
The Trail Blazers have plummeted to 12th in the Western Conference, but are reportedly not looking to tank, as they are just 1.5 games back from the 6th seed and could get right back in the mix with a winning streak.
The Blazers are reportedly looking for shooting, and could have the perfect offer to get some from the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Trading Bojan Bogdanovic to the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland needs shooting and additional firepower around Damian Lillard, while the Detroit Pistons need some tough defenders who can help change their culture.
Here is a trade that gets each team what they need:
In this trade, the Trail Blazers get their shooting and the Pistons get a guy in Josh Hart who could help the culture change that needs to happen in Detroit.
The Pistons have said repeatedly that they will require an unprotected pick for Bogdanovic, but if they were also getting a player who could help them, they might lower that price tag.
Both Hart and Winslow have been out with injuries, so this would give Portland an instant boost. This would force the Blazers to rely more on Nassir Little and Gary Payton II, who are both under contract for several more seasons on reasonable deals.
Both Hart and Winslow are on expiring deals, so this would be a way to get something for them before they potentially walk for nothing. It would be a roll of the dice for both teams, as the Blazers would be losing some depth and forced to rely more on young guys, while the Pistons would potentially be getting nothing but a late first round pick, the exact thing they said the weren’t going to do.
But there are also reasons the Detroit Pistons should jump at an offer like this.
Detroit Pistons: Trading Bojan Bogdanovic to the Portland Trail Blazers
The Detroit Pistons need some players who can help turn around their defense and lackadaisical culture and Josh Hart is one of those guys.
He’s a solid defender who can guard multiple positions, but most importantly, he busts his butt on every play, grabs a ton of rebounds and is the type of player who can help build team chemistry. He’s not a great shooter or scorer, but he’d give the Pistons the solid wing defender they are lacking.
He has just a player option for next season, and he could decline it in search of a more lucrative long-term deal, but there is no reason that deal couldn’t come from the Pistons, who will have the cap space to re-sign him. With few quality free agents at their biggest position of need, Hart would be the type of addition the Pistons are looking for in free agency anyway, so why not get a head start.
He would instantly be a fan favorite in Detroit, help improve the wing defense and is only 27-years-old, so the Pistons could get most of his prime years even if they had to slightly overpay to do it.
Winslow’s contract expires after this season and he won’t be back for several weeks (at least) anyway, so he is mostly just a salary match, though he’s another guy the Pistons might consider in free agency.
I’d much rather get a player with a known skillset at a position of need than to take a risk on another teenager in the draft, so even without the pick, this is the type of deal the Detroit Pistons should be looking for if they do end up trading Bojan Bogdanovic.