By: Marselis Davis
Thus far into free agency, the Dallas Mavericks have made a handful of moves. From re-signing old players like Kyrie Irving and Dwight Powell, to signing new players like Grant Williams and Seth Curry, it has been an eventful free agency for Dallas. As the offseason continues, the Mavericks are reportedly seeking to trade away Tim Hardaway Jr. As of now, the Detroit Pistons have been the only team mentioned in which trade talks are looming.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are currently in the midst of a rebuilding process. This past season, the Pistons finished at the bottom of the entire league in the standings, sitting in 30th place with only 17 wins. However, their 2021 number-one pick in Cade Cunningham missed essentially the entire season after receiving surgery on his shin. Due to this, the Pistons were led by 34-year-old Bojan Bogdanovic, who averaged 21.6 points per game for the season, which was the highest season-scoring average of his career. However, Bogdanovic’s age is somewhat in conflict with the timeline of the Detroit Pistons. This could lead to the Pistons seeking to trade Bogdanovic when Cunningham returns in order to focus on their young core.
So far, Bogdanovic is the most likely player that the Mavericks would acquire in a trade involving Hardaway Jr. and the Pistons. The Mavericks would likely involve another player in the trade, such as Javale McGee. If not , Mavericks would likely attach a pick to the trade instead.
Is This Trade Worthwhile?
If the Mavericks traded Hardaway Jr. for Bogdanovic, then it would give them an improvement in floor spacing and a slight improvement in shot creation. Bogdanovic has always been a great three-point shooter throughout his career. During his three-year tenure with the Utah Jazz, Bogdanovic helped the team consistently rank among the top of the league in three-point makes with an average of 39.7 percent from three on 6.8 three-point attempts per game. This past season, he averaged 41.1 percent from three on six three-point attempts per game.
While Hardaway Jr. is a good shooter, he is still not as good of a shooter as Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic is a sharpshooter who would likely be a more consistent and reliable floor spacer than Hardaway Jr. Bogdanovic is also capable of occasionally creating mid-range shots off the dribble, which is a benefit over Hardaway Jr.
A potential drawback of this trade is that Bogdanovic has a more expensive contract than Hardaway Jr. Next season, Hardaway Jr. will be making about $18 million next season, while Bogdanovic will make $20 million next year. This should not be a major problem since the Mavericks have already gotten rid of a bad contract in Davis Bertans, so they would likely have cap space to make a trade like this.
Conclusion
This trade heavily depends on whether or not the Pistons even want to trade Bogdanovic. It also depends on how much the Pistons would ask for in return for Bogdanovic. However, as the Mavericks continue shopping Hardaway Jr. in the trade market, they would certainly entertain a potential trade with the Pistons for Bogdanovic.
Stay tuned for more breaking NBA content, including offseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
“From Our Haus to Yours”