NBA Trade Rumors: How Bojan Bogdanovic, Nerlen’s Noel Trade With Detroit Pistons For Dallas Mavs Could Work
As the old saying goes, where there’s smoke there’s fire. It may be a small fire, but it’s a fire nonetheless.
With the February trade deadline getting closer by the day, the NBA trade rumors are starting to heat up and the Dallas Mavericks have popped up in some of them.
On Tuesday, the Mavs were linked to Detroit Pistons center Nerlens Noel in a report by The Athletic, which called Dallas one of the teams “most committed” when it came to a potential trade for the big man goes. This is the second time the Mavs-Noel connection has been mentioned in less than a week.
Also on Tuesday … the Mavs were linked to Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic in a report by HoopsHype. Of the two reports, Bogdanovic’s is far more enticing, as he’s averaged 21 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Pistons this season while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, with 43.7 percent of those shots from the deep. Though Bogdanovic will be 34 before the season is over, he would be an immediate wing/forward upgrade for the Mavs — one that could potentially bring them back to the level of play at last season’s Western Conference Finals.
Of course, given that there are rumors from various sources linking the Mavs to two Pistons players, the first question that springs to mind is, “What if Dallas tries to make a trade for both of them here are a few trade ideas that we might think make sense based on the rumours:
Mavs received: Bojan Bogdanovic, Nerlens Noel
Pistons obtained: Christian Wood, Dwight Powell
-OR-
Mavs received: Bojan Bogdanovic, Nerlens Noel
Pistons obtained: Tim Hardaway Jr., JaVale McGee, lottery-protected first-round pick
As good as Christian Wood has been for the Mavs in minutes this season, the fact remains he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer unless a contract extension is agreed beforehand. If an expansion isn’t an option for whatever reason, the Mavs need to explore their trading options. In the first scenario above, the Pistons free up nearly $30 million in cap space for the summer and take another look at Wood, who got his first real shot three years ago in Detroit.
In the second scenario, Detroit gets Tim Hardaway Jr., who is three years younger than Bogdanovic and has a relegated contract that will net him $16.1 million in the 2024-25 season – the final year of his contract. In his last eight games, Hardaway has turned a corner and is averaging 20.3 points while shooting 46.5 percent from deep on 10.8 attempts per game. The addition of JaVale McGee’s contract makes this scenario a first-round pick Dallas may not be ready for.
Other moving parts of a deal could still materialize, including the inclusion of a third team if required, but for now it’s fun to spit some of the more practical possibilities based on the rumors that have surfaced. We’ll see what happens over the next few days and weeks.
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