Bogdan Bogdanovic will become trade-eligible on Saturday, September 16, and the Atlanta Hawks are already shopping the Serbiang wing to front offices around the league according to Mike Scotto of HoopsHype. It's a good time for the Hawks to be selling, Bogdanovic is coming a stellar performance for Serbia at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He averaged 19.1 points per game and 4.6 assists per game, led Serbia to the Silver medal, and was named to the tournament All-Star 5.
Perhaps most importantly, Bogdanovic's play at the FIBA World Cup reminded folks that he is much more than a shooter. To a degree, Bogdanovic's sweet stroke has been a detriment to him in the NBA. He's a career 39-percent three-point shooter on nearly 2,300 attempts, one of the best marks on that volume in the league. But he's never averaged more than 3.8 assists per game in the NBA and is rarely thought of as a pick-and-roll ballhandler. Bogdanovic showcased those skills at the World Cup and whatever teams pursue him should be looking to tap into those skills, and not just his shooting.
Bogdanovic is 31 years old and has four years left on his $68 million contract with a team option for the final season. He certainly brings a lot to the table on offense but heading into the back-end of his prime, whoever acquires him must be committed to him and likely in win-now mode. Here are three teams that could use Bogdanovic immediately.
Bogdan Bogdanovic could be the missing piece for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have made deep playoff runs two seasons in a row. They made the 2022 NBA Finals but came up short against the Golden State Warriors, and lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat last season. In both series, they were undone by their lack of a secondary offensive creator.
Jayson Tatum is one of the best perimeter offensive players in the history of basketball and is the primary reason the Celtics offense looks unstoppable at times. However, he needs to rest sometimes. Either by coming out of the game or at the very least taking fewer on-ball repetitions. That's not an option for Boston deep into the playoffs. Jaylen Brown can barely dribble with one hand, rendering him useless in the role of a creator. Marcus Smart has been traded, and Derrick White could maybe take some of these repetitions but not all of them It's not his game.
If Boston had one more reliable creator in their offense, they might be invincible. That's why they should be calling about Bogdan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic is a good creator and showcased that over the summer, but in the NBA he can't be a team's primary creator. That means being a 2a or 2b as a creator for Boston, alongside White and behind Tatum, would be perfect for him. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who is only four years older than Bogdanovic, would also love the former Euroleague player's ability to space the floor. Mazzulla, like Bogdanovic, is more than happy to live and die by the three. Bogdanovic is a perfect fit for the coach and the roster. It's a no-brainer for Boston to try to make this happen.
Now could finally be the time for Bogdan Bogdanovic to join the Milwaukee Bucks
Three years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly made a trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic. They reportedly had acquired him from the Sacramento Kings for Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Illyasova, and D.J. Wilson. Bogdanovic was meant to join the team alongside newly acquired Jrue Holiday and form the new backcourt to team up with Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Unfortunately, the trade did not go through. It was reported too soon and ended up falling apart, Bogdanovic was traded to the Hawks that summer instead. The Bucks, though, should try to make this happen once again.
Even though Milwaukee won the 2021 NBA Championship, they have come up short in the playoffs since then. In 2022, they lost in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics and were upset by the eight-seed Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. In 2022, Middleton was hurt. In 2023, Antetokounmpo was hurt. With both of those players out, the Bucks struggled on offense. Holiday is a great defender, but his offensive numbers consistently plummet in the playoffs.
Bogdanovic could fill that void. In a similar fit to what he would do on the Celtics, he would primarily offer floor-spacing but would also be a fantastic player to turn to when Middleton or Antetokounmpo are struggling, or even injured. A Holiday-Bogdanovic-Middleton-Antentoukounmpo-Lopez line-up would be extremely formidable on both ends of the floor and could bring them their second title in four seasons.
Bogdan Bogdanovic would be a good plan-b for the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers desperately need a ball handler, someone who could run their offense who isn't named Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, and get the whole team involved. They are currently interested in James Harden who requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers back in July and listed the Clippers as his only destination.
The trade has not come to fruition. The Clippers are not interested in parting ways with anything more than their expiring contracts, and the Sixers are seeking either a star-player or star-player package in return. This impasse could be resolved, or the Clippers could decide they have had enough and pursue another player. Bogdan Bogdanovic could fill a similar role for them.
The spacing Bogdanovic would provide next to George and Leonard would be lethal, and make the Clippers very difficult to guard. He could also run the Clippers offense, but the biggest concern with this trade would be how much he's being asked to do on that front. Bogdanovic could take some repetitions as a primary ball handler, but filling that role entirely for one team is not ideal. It could be worth a gamble though, and if the Clippers could swing it for only some expiring contracts once could argue it's better than going all-in on Harden. The last two teams to do that have regretted it.
