Bojan Bogdanovic will be a big part of the Detroit Pistons’ rotation next season, but it’s not too soon to think about what could happen beyond that.
Bogdanovic has two years left on his current contract at a reasonable price for his production, but the second is only partially guaranteed, which potentially gives the Pistons an out if they want it.
Bogdanovic will be 35 years old in April, so it’s conceivable that he will play out next season and then be bought out, especially if he shows signs of decline.
But he could also be traded sometime before the trade deadline, which might be the way for Detroit to best maximize his value.
Either way, it’s very likely that the Detroit Pistons will need a replacement for him at some point in the near future.
Detroit Pistons: Possible replacement for Bojan Bogdanovic
The Pistons will have some interesting free-agent options if they do decide to let Bojan Bogdanovic go after this season. Some fans would be livid if the team let him walk for nothing, but he does have a $20 million cap slot that is far more than nothing and could help Detroit eventually land a star.
The free agent that stands out to me is Jaden McDaniels, who has the ideal skillset for the Pistons as a power forward who can defend and spread the floor. He won’t be cheap, as they’d likely have to make an offer the Timberwolves were unable to match in restricted free agency.
But there are other, cheaper options who could also be good free-agent fits for the Detroit Pistons.
Zeke Nnaji could be a free-agent option for the Detroit Pistons
McDaniels might be the ideal, but there is a player out there with similar attributes who might be easier to land in free agency.
McDaniels will be one of the most coveted young free agents on the market and the Timberwolves will do their best to keep him, so Detroit might have to look elsewhere unless they want to substantially overpay for his services.
One option would be Zeke Nnaji, who was mentioned to me by our friend @inktown123 yesterday.
Nnaji is currently on the Denver Nuggets, where he played in just 53 games last season after dealing with an injury and falling in and out of the rotation.
But this is a very athletic, 6-foot-9 power forward who has shot over 38 percent from long range in his short career, albeit on a low volume of attempts.
He’s only 22 years old, so fits the timeline, and it’s very possible that Detroit could steal him away as a restricted free agent next offseason, as the Nuggets will be up against the salary cap and the harsher penalties of the new CBA.
Denver currently has over $160 million tied up in Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Kenvativous Caldwell-Pope for the 2024-25 season and won’t be able to match certain offers for Nnaji without going into the luxury tax.
So if the Detroit Pistons want to just wait out his free agency, they could potentially have Nnaji by this time next year without having to give up anything but cap space to get him.
His qualifying offer is just over $6 million, so this is a guy who could fill a backup role at a position of need without breaking the bank.
Of course, Detroit could also try to trade for him before the deadline.
Detroit Pistons: Possible trade for Zeke Nnaji of the Denver Nuggets
After losing Bruce Brown, the Nuggets might like to add more veteran depth to make a run at a second title and the Pistons have a couple of possibilities for them. Given Nnaji is due to make $4.3 million next season, trading for him won’t be easy, as the Nuggets can’t take on additional payroll without going over the second luxury cap apron.
That makes a trade tricky, as the Nuggets would either have to take back a smaller contract or send more than just Nnaji to the Pistons.
Detroit isn’t going to trade Marcus Sasser, so that just leaves Isaiah Livers as a contract they could move in a one-for-one trade. Livers has shown as much upside as Nnaji, and is a better 3-point shooter, so Detroit would probably rather just roll the dice on the cheaper Livers and see what happens.
It makes a trade all but impossible unless the Nuggets were willing to just dump Nnaji’s salary on the Pistons for nothing, which seems unlikely given his upside.
So the best chance for Detroit to land him is likely to be patient and wait for his free agency or the event that the Nuggets need to cut payroll to make another move.