Mavs Among Trade Suitors Linked to Pistons' Bojan Bogdanovic
The Dallas Mavericks have started the 2022-23 season with a 14-13 record and plenty of room to improve as the midseason trade deadline approaches.
After losing Jalen Brunson in free agency over the summer, the Mavs have deployed Spencer Dinwiddie as the starting backcourt partner to Luka Doncic. When Tim Hardaway Jr. is converting at a strong clip from deep, he enhances the Mavs' offense, but he's largely limited to perimeter shooting as a means of making his impact. Could they pursue a wing to help?
In addition to being linked to Nerlens Noel, the Mavs are connected to another Detroit Pistons player, Bojan Bogdanovic. He's having an impressive season with the Pistons, averaging 21.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He's accomplishing his scoring volume while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 43.7 percent from 3-point range.
According to HoopsHype, the Mavs are among the teams that have expressed interest in trading for Bogdanovic. Other teams include the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Atlanta Hawks.
"Bogdanovic’s strong play has led numerous playoff-caliber teams around the league to express interest in trading for him, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, among several others, league sources told HoopsHype."
Noel is more mobile than JaVale McGee and would be more comfortable in the Mavs' defensive system. There are similar limitations that arise offensively with both bigs being non-shooting threats and being reliant on the playmaking of others to generate scoring opportunities. It would be helpful, but injuries and regression may limit the impact.
Bogdanovic would present a Mavs team that lives and dies by the 3-point shot with a sharpshooter capable of generating his own offense. Their reliance on perimeter shooting has only increased as teams prioritize packing the paint to prevent Luka Doncic from scoring on drives.
Acquiring Bogdanovic would bring dimensions to their half-court offense that otherwise aren't presently available to them. At 6-foot-8, he'd bring the Mavs with needed size on the wing. In terms of what a possible trade could look like, the Mavs may encounter some challenges there. Dallas doesn't have its own first-round pick in this year's NBA Draft if they finish outside of the top 10 of the draft order.
The Pistons initially weren't viewed as being likely to trade Bogdanovic, but the season-ending stress fracture procedure that Cade Cunningham is set to undergo has raised speculation about a shift in their plans. Bogdanovic signed a two-year, $39 million contract extension before the season, eliminating the prior risk of a trade acquisition amounting to being a rental.
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