The Miami Heat have reportedly expressed interest in making a deal for Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who has delivered solid production to the rebuilding Pistons.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype indicated that other teams besides the Heat have also looked into trading for the 6-foot-7 Bogdanovic. He was only acquired by the Pistons in September.
“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,” wrote Scotto. “Thus far, Detroit has been unwilling to engage in trade talks for the 33-year-old forward. Rival executives, however, are hopeful that stance changes closer to the deadline if Detroit continues to remain in the cellar of the East, with Cade Cunningham expected to miss the rest of the season.”
After showing the Pistons during the first few weeks of the regular season that he’s still able to contribute, the team rewarded him with a two-year contract extension worth $39.1 million.
Bogdanovic has started 28 games for the Pistons this season and is averaging 21.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 rebounds per game. During the course of his NBA career, he’s only averaged over 20 points per game once before, which came during the 2019-20 campaign.
That previous effort came during Bogdanovic’s first season as a member of the Utah Jazz, one of five NBA teams that he’s played for during his nine NBA seasons.
A Bogdanovic-Sized Boost?
The possibility of acquiring Bogdanovic is one of many possible deals that the Heat are considering as they seek to get their season on track after a slow start.
After defeating the Indiana Pacers on the road on Monday night, the Heat have a 13-15 record. One of the major problems for the team this season has been the squad’s inconsistency.
The Heat have been unable to put together a lengthy stretch of winning, with a pair of three-game winning streaks being the high points of the season. After the first of those winning streaks, the Heat promptly dropped their next four games.
Last week showed that inconsistency as the Heat sandwiched two home losses between a home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
What was perhaps most embarrassing about those two losses was that they came against the Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. The current combined record of those two teams is 16-40.
Although Detroit doesn’t seem crazy about the idea of trading Bogdanovic right now, it’s conceivable that the current mindset of the Pistons front office may change before the February trade deadline. Yet, there’s no guarantee that acquiring Bogdanovic would be the cure for what ails the Heat.