The Atlanta Hawks decision to trade Bogdan Bogdanovic arguably looks better today than it did when they first made the deal.
LA is in the playoffs, and the Hawks are at home preparing for the offseason. However, the Clippers’ postseason stay may not last long if they do not figure things out following their 112-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of Round 1 of the Western Conference playoffs.
Bogdanovic had 0 points on 0-for-3 shooting, all of which came from beyond the arc.
He had 5 rebounds and 2 assists but also committed four personal fouls, had 3 turnovers, and was frequently targeted on defense while playing just over 12 minutes.
Bogdanovic averaged 11.4 points per game with the Clippers during the regular season, a slight uptick from his 10.0 PPG. He improved upon a would-be career-low 30.7% clip from downtown with the Hawks to connect on 42.7% of his deep looks for the Clippers.
He was officially credited with allowing his assignments to go 1-for-5 while guarding them.
However, The Athletic’s Tony Jones noted that the Nuggets were “hunting” Bogdanovic on “every possession” at one point during the tightly-contested tilt.
Defense has never been Bogdanovic’s calling card, and a history of knee injuries has only slowed him down even more on that end. The issue that the Clippers face – and one the Hawks probably hoped to avoid going forward– is that his offense is also inconsistent.
This year may prove to be an outlier, especially given how well he played in the Olympics.
Still, Bogdanovic will turn 33 years old in August and is under contract for two more seasons and $32 million total.
Players rarely become more durable as time goes on. Bogdanovic has appeared in 70 games once in the last six seasons and three times in his eight-year career.
Hawks hardly won Bogdan Bogdanovic trade
Bogdanovic’s struggles do not exactly vindicate the Hawks in a decision that looked promising to start but got worse as time went on. The Hawks received Bones Hyland and Terance Mann in return for Bogdanovic.
They waived Hyland soon after, a decision that remains noteworthy given the team’s struggles to generate offense without Trae Young on the floor.
Moreover, Mann also struggled in the postseason.
He posted a 9.8/3.1/2.1 line in his 30 appearances with the Hawks, including one start. He even shot 38.6% from deep, albeit on a modest 2.9 attempts per game. Still, his playoff experience and physicality figured to benefit the Hawks.
Neither trait did against the Heat, and Mann found himself being overly physical during a critical point in the game.
He committed an offensive foul after Davion Mitchell’s three to put the Heat up 115-108.
Mann finished the contest with 5 points, 3 boards, and 1 assist with 1 turnover. He was efficient, shooting 66.7% overall and going 1-for-2 on his outside looks. But the veteran combo guard also tallied five turnovers.
Mann turns 29 in October and is under contract through the 2027-28 campaign. They must also hold out hope that he returns to his previous form next season.