3 Scenarios for Bojan Bogdanovic and the Detroit Pistons at the deadline and beyond

For the last three seasons, most of the chatter around the Detroit Pistons at the NBA trade deadline has revolved around whether they would trade their veterans.

The Pistons are in a tricky spot, as they want to improve and will need veterans like Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic to do it, but this season is shot and both are on expiring contracts (Bogey can be bought out), so it's a risk to keep them, especially when there is no evidence that their presence on the roster has helped the team win.

Of the two, Burks is more likely to be traded before this year's deadline simply because his contract is expiring, while Bogdanovic is still under team control for another season.

So what is going to happen with Bogdanovic? A recent report in The Athletic (Subscription)suggested the Pistons aren't shopping him and may plan to keep him around, but they have other options now and into the future.

The Detroit Pistons can trade Bojan Bogdanovic now

The most obvious is simply cashing Bogdanovic in at the deadline. There are plenty of teams that could use one of the NBA's best shooters, and even though he's 34, Bojan has shown he has plenty left in the tank and could be a big boost to a contender.

The issue is the return, as the Pistons have been holding out for a first-round pick to replace the one they owe the Knicks, which would open up more trade opportunities for them in the future.

But Detroit doesn't want to give him away for a meager return, especially one made up primarily of project players or second-round picks, as Bogdanovic has more value to the Pistons than a poo poo platter.

So what happens if they keep him?