Rumored 76ers trade target is not the answer they’re looking for

The NBA trade deadline just a tad more than a week away, injecting a ton more urgency for front offices to make moves that can either better their roster or improve their prospects. The Philadelphia 76ers, being one of the best teams in the league near the midseason point, belong to the former, and will certainly be on the lookout for upgrades at most positions.

One department that has many clamoring for more help is on offense. While the 76ers have the sixth-best offensive rating in the association, the scoring load has been undefined outside of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Why the 76ers shouldn’t pursue Bojan Bogdanovic in a trade

A popular name tossed around in the rumor mill as a potential trade target for Philly is Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who is enjoying another strong season. Detroit is expected to try to dangle him for assets, and the 76ers have sufficient ammo to bid for his services.

That being said, trading for the Croatian doesn’t sound like the ideal ceiling-raising move they can pull off at this juncture. Sure, his contract is amenable to their plans to free up space for free agency (only two million is guaranteed in his contract next season), but given his high demand, the Pistons will inevitably gouge his price tag.

If they’re about to oevrpay anyway, the 76ers should arguably be much better off getting a more surefire player who can actually fill in areas of more pressing need. Bogdanovic is purely an offensive player with marginal defense at best, and Philly’s projected need for a more eclectic scoring attack is mere nitpicking.

Philadelphia already has a great low-usage connector in Nicolas Batum. Taking away minutes from him to facilitate a player like Bogdanovic is like a step forward and two steps back. Marcus Morris Sr. and Robert Covington snugly fill in niche roles off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. has already proven that he can function well as a scorer on the tertiary.

Also, moving from Tobias Harris to Bojan Bogdanovic doesn’t move the needle much. While the latter offers more three-point shooting, he’s nowhere near the physical presence the former is, particularly on defense.

For these reasons, the Philadelphia 76ers would be wise to go away from the limelight in case the Pistons aggressively shop Bojan Bogdanovic. After all, they don’t really need him, and with the team having more urgent needs, being greedy at this juncture could easily backfire.