Getty Bojan Bogdanovic guards Deni Avdija on October 25, 2022
The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly in pursuit of a trade for a $142.5 million star small forward.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on January 5 that the Lakers are one of the teams trying to acquire Detroit Pistons small forward Bojan Bogdanovic.
“At this juncture, the Pistons are seeking at least one first-rounder and either a young player with upside or additional draft capital, sources said, plus Cleveland has company in Dallas, Phoenix and the Lakers, among other teams in pursuit of Bogdanovic,” Fischer reported.
The Lakers have been linked to Bogdanovic for several months. They tried to acquire the sharpshooter over the summer from the Utah Jazz, but the veteran was traded to the Pistons. Bogdanovic signed a two-year, $39 million extension with the Pistons in October. His salary for next season is fully guaranteed at $20 million, while the 2024-25 season is only partially guaranteed at $2 million.
Bogdanovic is making $19.3 million this season. He will have earned more than $142 million in his NBA career once his current contract expires after the 2024-25 campaign.
The Pistons Rejected the Lakers’ Last Offer for Bojan Bogdanovic
According to a December 12 report from NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers were rebuffed in their last attempt to acquire Bogdanovic. Los Angeles offered a trade package to Detroit for Bogdanovic centered around one future first-round pick with unspecified draft protections attached.
“They chased him during the offseason when Bogdanovic was still a member of the Utah Jazz and, according to league sources, continue to register trade interest in the 33-year-old Croatian,” Stein reported. “Sources say that the Lakers recently offered a trade package to Detroit for Bogdanovic centered around one future first-round pick with unspecified draft protections attached. The Pistons have to date declined those overtures, sources add, insisting on a fully unprotected future first from the Lakers to seriously entertain a Bogdanovic swap. Detroit, in fact, continues to tell interested teams (and there are several) that it wants to keep Bogdanovic.”
Bogdanovic is averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season for the Pistons while shooting 48.8% from the field, 42.2% from beyond the arc and 89.5% from the free-throw line. He’s made 98 3s, which is 32 more than the Lakers’ leader in 3-pointers (Lonnie Walker IV).
Bleacher Report Thinks the Lakers Should Get Bojan Bogdanovic & Alec Burks
On November 14, 2022, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote that the Lakers should try to acquire Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Pistons. Although Los Angeles has a better record now than it did in November when Knox wrote his article, the franchise still needs more shooters and scorers around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“There are a couple of reasons why making a run at Bogdanovic would be logical for the Lakers,” Knox wrote. “The first is that the 33-year-old is flourishing as a shooter in Detroit. Bogdanović has made 43 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and a whopping 50.5 percent from the floor. That’s a level of shooting consistency that the Lakers lack. The second reason is that, as Fischer outlined on Friday, a trade package could theoretically include another player who has previously interested the Lakers, Alec Burks. (Nerlens) Noel would largely be a throw-in, but Burks could be an intriguing option. He’s working his way back from foot surgery and has only appeared in one game this season, but the 31-year-old topped 40 percent from three-point range in each of his last three seasons.”
The Lakers could start Burks, Walker IV, Bogdanovic, James and Davis. That’s three players (Burks, Walker IV, Bogdanovic) who can hit 3-pointers and create their own shot off the dribble next to Davis and James.