Bogdan Bogdanovic knew he was getting traded one week before deadline

Bogdan Bogdanovic knew he was getting traded one week before deadline

The Atlanta Hawks had an active deadline, trading both De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively, in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, Terance Mann and Bones Hyland plus eight combined draft picks.

Bogdanovic, 32, recently revealed to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops that he knew he was going to be traded a week ahead of the deadline–but did not know where with nearly a dozen teams competing for his services.

“Seven days before the trade, I knew I was going to change teams,” Bogdanovic said, according to Eurohoops. “I didn’t know where I was going to end up, I even thought I might be in Toronto or New Orleans. … There were about ten teams in the mix, it’s a tricky period when you don’t know where you’ll be.

“But I’m glad I ended up with the Clippers, I’m happy.”

The Feb. 6 trade deadline was roughly a week after the Hawks lost forward Jalen Johnson, a rising star, for the season with a torn labrum. The Hawks were well on their way to another play-in game, at best, heading into the deadline, with no reason to latch onto Bogdanovic and Hunter for the rest of the season.

Bogdanovic was in the second season of a frontloaded four-year, $68 million extension he signed in March of 2023, according to Spotrac. He had $17.3 million on the books this season with $16.0 million in both 2025-26 and 2026-27 (team option).

The Serbian guard was having a down season with Atlanta. Across 30 games, he’s averaging 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 38.0 percent shooting, including 30.1 percent from 3-point range and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line. His six-game stint with Los Angeles has been slightly better from an efficiency standpoint, but it’s still not where we’ve typically expected 6-foot-5 guard in the past.

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It’s also encouraging to hear a front office communicate with its players about the likelihood of being traded. Of course, it’s not always feasible to find a deal, but it’s encouraging to hear that sort of transparency, at the very least. It’s far better than blindsiding a player, regardless of how good the player is or isn’t.

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