Pistons reportedly 'have no plans' to trade veteran sharpshooter
The Detroit Pistons have lost a record-tying 28 games in a row and are clearly the worst team in the NBA. As such, expecting the front office to begin exploring potential trades is only logical.
Upgrading the roster could be the quick fix the organization needs to jolt it out of its current free-fall. However, according to James Edwards II of The Athletic, there doesn't appear to be any plans for moving veteran scorer Bojan Bogdanovic.
"They don’t really have any assets to trade, though, and everything I’ve heard and continue to hear is that there are no plans to trade Bogdanović unless Detroit gets an offer it can’t refuse," Edwards reported. "The Pistons want to be good and don’t want to trade good players, even if Bogdanović’s role is reduced to a bench scorer next season."
Bogdanovic has been floated in trade rumors for most of his tenure with the Pistons. The veteran scorer is seen as the ideal addition to a contending team that needs an additional scoring punch off the bench.
This season, he is averaging 19.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists, shooting 45.6% from the floor and 37.1% from three-point range. Multiple contending teams around the NBA would part with trade assets to add him to their rotations.
However, the Pistons apparently want to keep the 34-year-old around. Not only does he add some legitimacy to their offense, but he also provides valuable veteran leadership for the franchise's young and developing roster. Players can learn from his off-court habits, how he approaches the offseason and how he finds scoring opportunities.
Bogdanovic has one more year left on his $39 million contract. Detroit could look at potential trade scenarios during the offseason. For now, though, with the season already looking lost, moving on from a genuine veteran leader would likely cause more damage than it would do good.
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