Grade the trade: Hawks proposal lands high-priced former NBA champion

Nuggets pair Nikola Jokic with Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic in proposed trade

Bogdanovic and Nikola Jokic just won bronze for Serbia in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and got together to celebrate Goran Dragic’s retirement in Slovenia.

The deal would also add perimeter defense in Hunter, who could benefit from playing alongside Aaron Gordon to give the Nuggets a formidable duo. And while he is not the consistent scorer that Porter is, Hunter is fully capable of going off for 20-plus on any given night.

Hunter will cost roughly $16 million less than Porter 2026-27, the final year of their deals.

Bogdanovic could offset that, carrying a $16 million cap hit in 2026-26. But that is a team option, which could allow the Nuggets to pivot.

This deal would make the Nuggets older. Porter is six months younger than Hunter, who also has a lengthy history of knee injuries. Ditto for Bogdanovic, though he appeared in 79 games in 2023-24, two fewer than Porter.

Hunter appeared in 57 games and has never made more than 67 appearances in a season.

He averaged 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 2023-24. He is a good defender but not a game-changer in that regard.

Bogdanovic posted 16.9/3.4/3.1 line in 2023-24 and is in Year 2 of a four-year, $68 million contract. The 32-year-old did battle knee injuries as recently as the 2022-23 season but was healthy last season and has looked good whenever he’s on the court.

Grade – C+: Surrendering draft capital and depth to get older without a clear improvement on the team’s ceiling figures to be a non-starter behind closed doors.