In trade talks, the LA Clippers had plans of including Bogdan Bogdanovic wherever applicable. But after conversing with a few teams about his market value, the Clippers will realize that additional convincing, as well as sweet talk, will be required to remove any injury-centered barriers interested parties have to the veteran scorer, which will not be 100% effective.
Bogdanovic last played 21 minutes versus the Orlando Magic. He shot 2-9 this game, 3-9 the game prior, against the Philadelphia 76ers, and 4-10 the game prior to that in Boston, yet every team is aware his production can be transformed in the blink of an eye.
The hesitation around trading for Bogdanovic stems entirely from his health. Not long ago, he suffered a hamstring injury, then was re-injured in the preseason due to his back.
Thus, the precaution with Bogdanovic was always through the roof, as the Clippers needed him on the bench while simultaneously gauging his performance for trade purposes, which has put LA's plan on pause for a potential shutdown.
The LA Clippers' current return for Bogdan Bogdanovic will be disappointing
What team in their right mind, looking out for their best interests, will provide the LA Clippers with more than a second-round pick and a flawed, inexpensive role player for Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has played nine games this season and has disappointed in most of them?
Against the Dallas Mavericks, the Serbian native had 21 points, four steals, three rebounds, and three assists in 37 minutes.
However, the rest of his game log is relatively underwhelming, leading to averages of 9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, shooting 37.3% from the field and 34.0% from beyond the arc.
His $16 million team option, due by the early-offseason deadline, was supposedly the appealing aspect of his contract. A contender could have traded for him, then accepted or declined the offer according to his rest-of-season production.
Now, Bogdanovic's salary feels like an overpay, as he has been a combination of injured and underperforming this season. Hence, most teams will not dare to have the courage to secure him away from the Clippers' hands.
There have even been proposed ideas by Bogdanovic's experts and analysts for packages for particular All-Stars around the league. Though the possibility existed for a moment, the Clippers would be lucky if it is still available, as they are due an unfair return on the three-level scorer.