THE The Cleveland Cavaliers are in serious need of a third scorer alongside Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, but they have failed to secure one this offseason.
However, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report sees a perfect trade target for the Cavaliers to rectify this problem: Atlanta Hawks winger Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic has been linked to the Cavaliers in the past, so it’s no surprise that he’s being mentioned again as a potential fit for the team.
The general consensus is that the Hawks will attempt to move Bogdanovic relatively soon. If it doesn’t happen before the end of the offseason, it could happen midway through the 2024-25 campaign, especially if Atlanta pulls out of the race early.
Bogdanovic has three years left on his contract, including a club option for the 2026-27 season. He’s set to make $17.3 million in 2024-25, which is actually a very affordable contract for a player of his caliber.
The 32-year-old returns from a 2023-24 campaign in which he played 79 games and averaged 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.4 minutes per night on 42.8/37.4/92.1 shooting splits.
Bogdanovic is not the most efficient goal scorer in the world, with a career goal percentage of 56.6%. However, he can score in groups and at all levels.
The Serbian native is also a solid defender, and last season he put in a terrific performance. net score plus-10.3.
The question is whether Bogdanovic will start or not. Cleveland could bench Max Strus, or move Bogdanovic to a sixth-man role (where he spent much of his NBA career). That would give the Cavs a pair of big bench scorers in Bogdanovic and Caris LeVert.
We’ll see if the Cavaliers try to make a move for Bogdanovic.
