Andrew Bogut’s Joke is Harsh Reality

Andrew Bogut’s joke on social media about his health is the harsh reality for the fanbase and organization that his trade value is at an all-time low.

It was Andrew Bogut bobblehead night in Dallas on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. The only problem, Bogut wasn’t playing for the 24th time this season due to his injuries.

Yeah, 24 out of the first 49 games of the season Bogut has not been in the lineup with another one lined up tonight in Portland that he will be out of as well. This will mean Bogut will have missed exactly half of the Mavericks season up to this point.

Definitely not what Dallas had imagined when they brought in Bogut (basically for nothing) over the summer to be their defensive anchor in the middle.

With Dallas having somewhat of a disappointing season and Dirk Nowitzki moving to the full-time center position, the expiring contract of Andrew Bogut has come up in a plethora of trade rumors.

Before December 6th, the rumors surrounding the package that Dallas could get back was centered around a first round pick from a contending team or a young rotation player from a playoff team. Bogut had played in 16 games and logged double-digit rebounds in nine of those games.

Contending teams looking for a rim protector could have looked at Dallas and Bogut’s expiring contract. Since then, his value has dropped at an all-time low and Bogut’s joke on twitter was the harsh reality that Dallas isn’t getting anything worthwhile back for the big man.

Fitting? Yes. Encouraging? Nope.

Since December 6th, Bogut has missed 20 of 29 games for the Mavericks and is still out due to a hamstring injury. Bogut is 32 years old and has yet to prove to the Mavericks that he can stay healthy in his 12th year in the league.

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When Bogut is even labeling himself as “Fragile Bogut”, how do you think teams around the league are labeling him?

The days of obtaining a first pick for Bogut are over. Now the question becomes, will the Mavericks simply try to get anything for him? Will they take a second round pick?

At this point, Dallas has four options.

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First, you hold on to Bogut up until the last moment before the trade deadline. He has an expiring contract that can help match salary in a larger deal if the right player became available to Dallas.

Second, you unload Bogut for literally anything for the future. Whether it is a future second round pick or a young(er) player on a cheaper deal that has room for growth. Getting something back for Bogut before the deadline.

Third, you don’t find a taker before the deadline and buy out his contract after the trade deadline where it allows him to join a contender. It would also open up a roster spot to bring in a free agent big man who you can simply ‘tryout’.

Fourth, you hold on to Bogut for the rest of the season. Dallas decides a second round pick or buyout is not worth not having Bogut for a potential playoff series. Plus, Bogut has been vocal about not wanting to be traded and Dallas could satisfy that as it might not hurt them either way.

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No matter what option Dallas chooses over the next couple of months, Bogut’s joke on Twitter was a harsh reality that they won’t get anything worthwhile for the ‘fragile’ big man.