The Toronto Raptors had to have been in a state of complete disbelief when the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to pilfer Donovan Mitchell away from the rebuilding Utah Jazz. With veterans like Bojan Bogdanovic next up on the chopping block, contenders from around the league are hitting up Danny Ainge.
While names like Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson are reportedly on the market, Bogdanovic might be the best player of the three and the one who could contribute most directly to a championship in the right situation. Very few in the game today possess his shooting skill.
The Raptors would be more than fine heading into the season with their roster as it is currently constructed. Having said that, Masai Ujiri is never one to turn down a deal for a player of this caliber. It sounds like Ujiri has been working the phones and trying to consummate a deal.
Jake Fischer, speaking on his “Please Don’t Aggregate This” podcast, said that the Raptors have been “pretty consistently mentioned” as a team poking around the Bogdanovic sweepstakes. The Pelicans, Lakers, and Suns have also extended feelers out for the veteran sniper.
Report: Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans interested in Bojan Bogdanovic https://t.co/rDkvCAEStA
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 10, 2022
Will the Toronto Raptors get Bojan Bogdanovic?
If the Raptors could use anything right now, it’s a veteran shooter off the bench with a proven history of scoring at a high level. Bogdanovic has averaged over 18 points per game on 44/40/88 shooting splits during his three-year stint in Utah. Even at age 33, teams are falling over themselves to acquire him.
The Jazz are reportedly driving a hard bargain for a player as old as Bojan, as they reportedly will accept nothing less than a first-round pick for his services. Considering his impending free agency and contract demands, that would be a very tall order for Toronto.
The best way to make this work would be to get a third team involved. If Ujiri can somehow pull this off, he will have given Toronto a Sixth Man fon the Year frontrunner with tremendous offensive potential. He and Otto Porter Jr. would singlehandedly put an end to the exhausting rotations Nick Nurse conjured last year.
Utah still has coveted veteran trade asserts, including Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley Jr. They'll approach an Oklahoma City-esque haul of draft assets once they're done dealing. Jazz consider Markkanen, Sexton and Agbaji keepers for their rebuilding roster.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2022
While a trade is certainly not imminent at this point in time, it’s clear that the Raptors have some degree of interest in Bogdanovic. The Jazz are motivated sellers and Bogdanovic is a little long in the tooth, meaning that Ujiri might be able to whittle down the asking price just a bit.