Earlier this week the Utah Jazz found a new home for one of their veteran NBA players. Bojan Bogdanovic had been involved in trade rumors for a while now, so it was no surprise that he was moved. What was surprising was his landing spot.
After weeks of being connected to contending teams such as the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, or playoff hopefuls in the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, Bogdanovic was traded to the Detroit Pistons. The rebuilding Pistons were never mentioned as a potential landing spot, but it is a great addition for them.
Bogdanovic brings excellent 3-point shooting, something they lacked last season, finishing with the second lowest percentage in the league. More than just a 3-point shooter, Bogdanovic will be a solid third option behind Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey along with Saddiq Bey.
More shocking than the landing spot itself was the price that the Pistons had to pay to acquire Bogdanovic. Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee are on their way over to Utah, which makes this trade a huge win for Detroit. They unload players that aren’t in their long-term plans and acquire someone who fills a huge need.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz & Detroit Pistons Updates
They didn’t have to unload any future assets in the move, either. Not a single draft pick was included, which is certainly surprising. Why was that? According to Andy Larsen, a Jazz and NBA beat writer for the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah didn’t want to bring back future money. All of the offers, according to Larsen, that included first-round picks also involved players with longer-term salaries.
A rebuilding team not wanting to take on long-term salary makes sense, as they looked to do the same in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But, they did take on three years of Lauri Markkanen and signed Collin Sexton to a four-year deal as part of the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz & Detroit Pistons Updates
Both are younger players, so there is certainly a chance the longer-term salary that was being offered was not players Utah was interested in taking on. Alas, flipping Bogdanovic without getting a pick back in return feels like a loss for the Jazz.
