New York Knicks Acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks in Trade With Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons' Croatian power forward Bojan Bogdanovic (L) fights for the ball with Chicago Bulls' US power forward Patrick Williams (C) during the 2023 NBA Paris Games basketball match between Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls at the Arena stadium in Paris on Jan. 19, 2023.
The New York Knicks are going for it.
With a spate of injuries recently sidelining Knicks starters Julius Randle, OG Anunobi and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks added reinforcements Thursday that - while alleviating those losses in the short term - positions them to make a serious push toward Eastern Conference supremacy in the NBA playoffs.
New York acquired forward Bojan Bogdanovic and guard Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons, a move that was immediately lauded across the NBA community. In exchange for the talented pair, the Knicks sent to Detroit Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and a pair of second-round draft picks.
"Really, for the Knicks, fulfilling their needs at this trade deadline," Senior ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski said. "Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons, giving them shooting, playoff experience, depth."
"This is a team, a Knicks team certainly as deep, one through 10, 11 (players), as anyone in the east," he added. "There are certainly teams with better players at the very top, but this is a Knicks team that is going to counter that with this kind of veteran scoring help."
"With the Knicks acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic (averaging 20.2 points per game and 41.5% from 3-point range) and Alec Burks (averaging 12.7 points per game and 40.1% from 3-point range), I think they have a real shot of playing not just in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the NBA Finals!" Magic Johnson posted on X Thursday in reaction to the trade.
Alec Burks #5 of the Detroit Pistons dribbles up the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center on Dec. 30, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.
As the Los Angeles Lakers legend pointed out on X, the additions of Bogdanovic and Burks leaves New York's offense in particular substantially enhanced. Though we won't witness what that truly looks like as the Knicks contend for higher seeding in the NBA's Eastern Conference until they're at full strength, supporters of this transaction also like that Knicks President Leon Rose didn't give up any of the team's first-round picks in the process.
"Quentin Grimes is a player that can be plugged in right now, but the Knicks, they get Bogdanovic and Burks, two players who help them now, and they're able to keep their flexibility moving forward if this summer they want to get involved with perhaps an All-NBA-level player who becomes available in trades," Wojnarowski said.
"Philadelphia was after both Bogdanovic and Burks," he added. "The Knicks closed that deal this morning."
Quentin Grimes #6 of the New York Knicks dribbles down court during the second quarter of the Celtic's preseason game against the New York Knicks at TD Garden on Oct. 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Grimes, 23, was selected 25th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2021 NBA Draft. He was traded a day later to New York, for which he averaged 8.6 points on 43.6 percent shooting in 162 games (90 starts).
Entering Friday, Feb. 9, the 33-19 Knicks were seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Boston Celtics (39-12), Cleveland Cavaliers (34-16) and Milwaukee Bucks (33-19), but ahead of the fifth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (30-20) by two games.