The future is up in the air for Bojan Bogdanovic, the hot shooter from Croatia who has bounced from the Nets to the Wizards. After picking up significant games after the trade deadline, it’s unclear if Bogdanovic will stay in Washington, return to his former team in Brooklyn or find a new home in the NBA this summer.
Bogdanovic was traded for a first-round pick and remains a restricted free agent, which means he can be picked up by a new team on a short-term or long-term basis. He’s only renting his spot by the Verizon Center in Washington, well aware that this summer is filled with uncertainty.
“I don’t want to move like five times, I’ll stay over there until the end of the season and then we’ll see what’s going to happen in the summer,” Bojan Bogdanovic told The New York Post before scoring eight points in 31 minutes off the bench in a 106-103 win over the Knicks at the Garden on Thursday night. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m trying to do my best with the Wizards to stay in the playoffs as far as we can, and then we’ll see what’s going to happen in the summer with me and where I’m going to wind up playing next year.
“When you play good everybody wants to keep you, so I hope I’m going to continue my run especially in the playoffs, and I’ll play a little bit better than the last couple of games, and I’ll push the team to sign me next year.”
The Nets are currently looking for restricted free-agent wings, with their eyes on the Pistons’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Washington’s Otto Porter. But with the possibility that the Wizards will pay more to keep Porter — and the recent arrest of Caldwell-Pope for DUI charges — the Nets might turn back to Bogdanovic for a second try.
But even Bogdanovic remains completely unsure of whether or not that offer would work out.
“It’s still early. I didn’t think about it. I’m trying to focus about basketball,” Bogdanovic said. “Everybody has started to ask me about the contract now, but I’m not in that mode yet. After the playoffs I will start to think about options, about what’s the best place for me. But right now I’m really happy in Washington with this group of guys. But we’ll see after the season what’s going to happen.”
At this point, Bojan Bogdanovic is playing on restricted minutes as he comes off the Washington bench. However, his efficiency is on the rise due to the skill of teammates such as John Wall and Bradley Beal. His shooting percentage leapt from 44 percent to 47.3 percent after the move to Washington, and his 3-point shooting also jumped up to 39.6 percent.
“He plays with a high IQ,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “You could tell he’s played a lot of basketball for a lot of years, and started at a young age playing a lot of big games overseas. He definitely is a shot-maker, but he takes it to the basket. He’s not just a jump-shooter he gets to the free throw line.
“There’s been a game or two that he’s had double-digits in free throws. I think he had 16 in one game. That’s not easy to do coming off the bench. But he makes shots, he makes plays, and he competes on the defensive end. It’s not like he gives up open shots. He competes, and I’m very pleased what he’s done since the pickup.”
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