The approach of the NBA trade deadline has the league buzzing and fans of the Detroit Pistons are wondering when their team’s name is going to be called.
The Pistons have to make tough decisions on veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, players who could help almost any contender with their outside shooting.
But they can also help the Pistons, as Detroit needs competent veterans to round out their young core, and it may not be worth it to give them away for second-round picks.
And that could be all that is on offer, as a recent trade may have set the market for players like Bogdanovic and Burks and it doesn’t look great for the Detroit Pistons.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, among others, the Miami Heat are acquiring guard Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract and a protected first-round pick.
The 2027 pick is lottery protected and will then become completely unprotected in 2028, so the perpetually rebuilding Hornets are likely to end up with a mid to late first-rounder for Rozier.
Rozier is averaging over 23 points and six assists per game on fairly average efficiency, but he’s been doing it on a very bad Charlotte team.
He’s younger and arguably much better than either Bojan Bogdanovic or Alec Burks, so Pistons fans can probably temper their excitement about what they will net on the trade market.
If Rozier is worth only an expiring contract and a middling first-round pick, it’s hard to imagine either Bogey or Burks being worth anything more.
The only caveat is that Bogdanovic and Burks are both on expiring contracts (Bojan can be bought out), so don’t represent a long-term financial investment, which might interest teams that are near the tax or want to keep their books clear for next offseason.
This may be a case where the right offer never comes and the Detroit Pistons hold onto their veterans at the trade deadline, which would anger a large segment of the fanbase that thought the two of them probably should have been shipped out last season.
This trade also takes Miami off the board as a potential trade partner with the Pistons, shortening the market even more.
