Reactions to Milwaukee Bucks’ rumored interest in Bojan Bogdanovic

The NBA trade deadline is a little more than a month away and with that comes rumors surrounding each team and who their targets will be. The Milwaukee Bucks have Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons in mind as a target, Matt Moore of Action Network reports.

Milwaukee’s interest in Bogdanovic is familiar, as they were interested in Bogdanovic during the offseason before he was ultimately traded to Detroit, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Subscription required).

If Detroit does move Bogdanovic, the asking price is expected to be high, as Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reports that Detroit will want at least a first-round pick and likely more in exchange for the forward.

Reactions to the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly being interested in Bojan Bogdanovic

If the name Bogdanovic sounds familiar, it should be. The Bucks were reportedly close to acquiring a different Bogdanovic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, from the Sacramento Kings during the 2020 offseason. That trade ultimately fell through, and Milwaukee received punishment from the NBA for tampering.

Bojan Bogdanovic is in the midst of a career season for the Pistons, with averages of 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 42.2 percent from three and 89.5 percent from the free throw line.

Bogdanovic fits the bill of Milwaukee’s goal of surrounding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo with perimeter shooters. The Bucks desperately need a quality perimeter shooter, with the team currently ranked 23rd in team 3-point percentage at 34 percent, per NBA.com/stats.

The Bucks have dealt with the injury bug all season long and have yet to consistently be able to have their best shooters in the lineup. The biggest pro of trading for Bogdanovic would be having a 3-point shooter consistently in the lineup. Throughout his career, Bogdanovic has been relied upon to be out on the floor consistently, which would be huge for the Bucks.

While Bogdanovic does solve Milwaukee’s perimeter shooting woes, they still would likely need more if they acquired him. Milwaukee still needs an elite wing defender who can switch to larger matchups when necessary. Bogdanovic is not a bad defender by any means. Still, he’s also not the prototypical 3-and-D player that the team has lacked since the controversial departure of P.J. Tucker following their championship run in 2021.

The trade would be great for Milwaukee if they could make it without including Grayson Allen. The team would likely include Allen in a trade package due to his contract and value shooting. However, an Allen for Bogdanovic swap would only benefit Milwaukee a little, considering Allen and Bogdanovic are both lethal three-point shooters and not elite defenders.

I wouldn’t be throwing a fit if the Bucks traded for Bogdanovic, but I hope they would still look to make a bigger splash and acquire a lengthy wing to help them defensively. Wesley Matthews has been that for the team this season, but with his inconsistency offensively and missing some time, the Bucks still need more in that department.

The idea of acquiring Bogdanovic is intriguing, but Milwaukee needs to know there are still holes to fill in their roster if they make a move involving him. With the trade deadline being in February, Milwaukee has plenty of time to evaluate Bogdanovic and other trade targets.

Stay tuned to see what news comes as the trade deadline approaches.