Utah Jazz: Eight intriguing (albeit difficult to pull off) Dante Exum trade ideas
Bogdan Bogdanovic
2019-20 Salary: $8.5 million
Alright, so maybe I’m just a little too obsessed with the idea of Bogdan Bogdanovic teaming up with Bojan Bogdanovic to create the Bogey Brothers, but this feels like an exhilarating one for the Jazz. Bogdan is a terrific young playmaker with a sweet stroke as he’s connecting on over 40 percent of this three-point attempts this year while putting up 14.6 points per game.
Bogdanovic would be excellent off Utah’s bench to give them a reliable scoring option and a guy capable of lighting it up and going off from deep. As he continues to develop, he could very well be a prolific addition to a Jazz team and reserve unit that definitely needs some extra juice. Much like the Bogdanovic already on Utah’s roster, Bogdan may not be a lockdown defender, but he’s underrated in that aspect and is a willing defender that would only stand to improve in that area under Quin Snyder.
Why the Kings MIGHT do it:
Honestly, I have a hard time seeing the Kings being willing to part with such a nice, young piece. However, we’ve seen the Kings make head-scratching blunders in the past and it can be difficult to understand some of their decisions. Even so, as they push for a playoff spot, they may be hesitant to deal a proven guy like Bogdanovic for a giant question mark in Exum.
But, the Kings also are facing a bit of a sticky situation in terms of paying all their players. Buddy Hield recently signed a massive extension, Harrison Barnes is under contract for the foreseeable future and pretty soon they’ll have to pony up cash to pay both De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley.
With that being the case, as the Kings do their math, they may find that Bogdan Bogdanovic is the odd man out and decide they’d be best to cut their losses now, make a trade and avoid losing him in free agency. If they do so, the intrigue of Exum coupled with future draft selections could entice them into making a move.
The Kings are yet another squad that could use improvement on defense and have the time and setup to work with young players like Exum, so if they, in typical Kings fashion, decide to go against better judgement and move Bogdanovic, the Jazz should definitely try to throw themselves into the mix.