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?
Bojan Bogdanovic coming off the bench for the Detroit Pistons next season
If the Pistons do not trade Bogdanovic at the deadline, it's not the end of the world, they could still move him in the offseason when their needs are more clearly defined, as the final year of his deal isn't terrible and they could include him in a big trade later.
But they could also keep him.
Right now, Bogdanovic is the Pistons' starting small forward and if that's the case, you can almost guarantee your team is not good. Bojan can't defend (not through lack of effort) and is much better suited to being a primary scoring option off the bench for a good team.
If the Pistons could make enough offseason additions to push Bogdanovic to the bench, then keeping him makes some sense, as he is still a good player who is making $19 million next season if the Pistons pick up his full contract.
He still represents the type of player they need and if he's coming off the bench, it means the Pistons have made significant moves to bolster their roster.
But if they plan to run him out there as a starter again, or don't make the requisite moves to push him to the bench, then keeping him defies all logic.
They could also move him at next year's trade deadline and it's not likely his value will have diminished much, especially if teams are only offering second-round picks now. Those deals will be there next year.
The Pistons could buy him out
The least likely scenario is that the Pistons don't trade Bogdanovic at the deadline or fully guarantee his contract for next season.
He can be bought out for around $2 million, which would open up nearly $17 million in additional cap space.
But the Pistons already have plenty of cap space, so it would be of little consequence unless they have players to use it on. There's also the fact that they only have seven players under contract for next season (including Bogdanovic), so will have a lot of roster spots to fill, especially if he is gone with nothing coming back in return.
My gut tells me the Pistons will trade Burks, keep Bogdanovic and hope they can make enough moves to push him to a more suitable role, but I wouldn't be shocked if the insane front office runs it back and we see a 35-year-old Bogey in the starting five next season.