Proposed Trade Bolsters Heat Frontcourt With Sharpshooting Veteran

Getty Detroit Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic reacts during a bout with the Orlando Magic.

We’re now four games into the 2022-23 NBA season and, based on what we’ve seen so far, the Miami Heat might want to think about changing their name to the Hot Mess. The team currently sits at 1-3 on the year with issues abounding on both sides of the ball.

And while Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler and other have been talking tough about the defensive shortfall, one has to believe that the club will get things back on track there. After all, this is essentially the same roster that conceded just 108.4 points per 100 possessions last season, the fourth-best mark league-wide.

The team’s offense, on the other hand, continues to be problematic.

In particular, Miami’s three-point attack has disappointed, much as it did during postseason play. So far this season, the Heat are only attempting 29.5 triples a night (25th most league-wide) and converting them at the paltry rate of 33.1% (21st best).

Should the Heat look to the trade market for a three-point uptick, here’s one player who has been identified previously as a potential target that could provide said boost.

B/R Floats Bogdanovic Trade

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz jumped back into the trade machine fray recently with his accounting of the one trade that every team in the Association “should already be plotting.” For the Heat, that meant the following maneuver:

• Detroit Pistons receive F Duncan Robinson, and a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2023
• Miami Heat receive PF Bojan Bogdanovic

Wrote Swartz:

Miami has gone small to begin the season, using 6’5″ Caleb Martin as the starting power forward with few other options to lean on.

Picking up Bogdanovic solves this problem, as the 6’7″, 226-pound forward would be a perfect addition as a floor-spacing starter alongside Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Getting off Robinson’s contract is an added bonus as well.

Bogdanovic could really do wonders for Miami’s prowess on the perimeter. Over his previous three seasons with the Utah Jazz, the 33-year-old connected on an impressive 39.7% of his triples while attempting them at a rate of 6.8 per game.

He’s not solely a catch-and-shoot guy, either. Unlike even the good version of Robinson, Bogdanovic can also attack defenses off the dribble, take advantage of his size in the post and fill either role in screen-roll actions. That said, there’s at least one shortfall area in his otherwise underrated game.

Bogey’s Defense Has, At Times, Warranted the ‘Hot Mess’ Descriptor

For all that Bogdanovic does on the offensive side of the basketball, his defensive contributions haven’t always been of a winning nature. If anything, he’s sandwiched the off lockdown effort or highlight-reel stand with defensive lapses and failed vertical movement.

Some of the numbers on Bogdanovic’s defensive prowess are particularly damning. Last season, his defensive rating checked in at a less-than-awesome 111.4, a number that was 5.3 points per 100 possessions worse than Utah’s number when he was off the court. And that spread only grew worse during the team’s abbreviated postseason run.

Meanwhile, opposing players’ field-goal percentages jumped by 3.2% on average when attempting shots with Bogdanovic as the closest defender.