Per a recent report, the Detroit Pistons aren’t actively trying to deal two of their veteran players in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
“Lastly, in talking to people around the league, while Detroit may be more willing to part with veterans Bogdanović and Alec Burks than they were a year ago, the Pistons are not actively shopping either player, per league sources,” James L. Edwards III wrote. “Bogdanović has a team option for next season, and Burks will hit unrestricted free agency. Detroit appears more inclined to wait until the summer to make a decision on Bogdanović, whom they really value, unless a trade for a good first-round draft pick and a good player comes along. As for Burks, the Pistons believe they have a chance to retain the bucket-getting veteran this summer. But I get the sense that two really good second-round picks, at minimum, would cause Detroit to consider a move before the deadline.”
Bogdanovic is arguably the best scorer that Detroit has on its roster right now, as he is averaging 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point range. He has played in just 23 of the Pistons’ 44 games so far during the 2023-24 regular season, however.
The 34-year-old led the Pistons to their fifth win of the season against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. In 33 minutes of action, he dropped 34 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 shooting from deep to go along with four rebounds and four assists.
Detroit’s win over the Hornets marked the team’s first victory since the Pistons beat the Washington Wizards — who own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference — by 12 points on Jan. 15, which was over a week ago.
Burks isn’t quite the scorer that Bogdanovic is, but he has put together some gaudy offensive performances over the past few weeks. For example, he scored 33 points in 30 minutes of playing time against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 20 and also knocked down seven 3-pointers. A few days earlier against the Wizards, he scored 34 points and shot 11-of-17 from the field.
Bogdanovic and Burks — who are both older than 30 years old — don’t quite fit the Pistons’ timeline. The Pistons own the NBA’s worst record by a wide margin at 5-39 and are far away from playoff contention.
But despite the fact that their long-term fit on the Pistons is shaky, it’s easy to understand why Burks and Bogdanovic reportedly aren’t being actively shopped. After all, they are two of the top scoring threats on a team that isn’t exactly stacked with great scorers.
The Pistons will aim to pick up their second win in a row when they take on the Wizards at home on Jan. 27. The Wizards are riding a five-game losing streak, which is the longest active losing streak of any team in the Eastern Conference.
