The NBA world doesn’t know what to do when the Knicks are making competent moves.
After years of ill-fated signings and trades by hapless executives, the Knicks are suddenly being celebrated for their front-office decisions led by team president Leon Rose.
That trend continued ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline when the Knicks acquired Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Pistons for Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two future second-round picks.
Burks and Bogdanovic give the Knicks two additional scoring threats and only cost them one rotation player in Grimes, who has been openly frustrated with a reduced role.
“The Knicks are big winners. Needed more scoring and Bogdanovic and Burks fit perfectly next to the engines (Jalen) Brunson and (Julius) Randle. Both can get hot,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor wrote on X. “Both can create if needed at some time or another to give Brunson a breather. Crazy how deep New York is now.”
“The Knicks are lowkey pretty sharp these days. Tons of really nice pickups of late. Hart, DDV (Donte DiVincenzo), (Isaiah) Hartenstein + getting Bojan. They’ve quietly done a really nice job rebuilding,” former Mavericks exec Haralabos Voulgaris wrote on X.
“The only thing the Knicks were missing was depth and right now they are deeper than the Pacific Ocean,” ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins said on the network’s trade deadline show.
Follow along with the Knicks' trades before the deadline
- The Knicks are acquiring Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Pistons ahead of Thursday’s 2024 NBA trade deadline, according to multiple reports.
- Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two future second-round picks are part of the package heading to Detroit, ESPN.com reported.
- Burks, who played for the Knicks in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, is averaging 12.6 points per game this season.
- Bogdanovic averages 20.2 points per game for Detroit and has long been rumored to be on the trade market.
- Fournier has been frustrated by being benched for much of the season so far, going as far as to say the Knicks were holding him “hostage.” He previously expected to be traded before the season started.
- Grimes lost his starting job in early December to Donte DiVincenzo and has struggled with his demotion.
“And everybody else in the Eastern Conference better get lifejackets, including the Boston Celtics. This New York Knicks team is a legit title contender this season and anybody else say anything different, they haven’t been watching the Knicks play… This team is deep, they have zero flaws, they have a closer in Jalen Brunson, they are ready right now to compete for a title.”
The Pistons are receiving a different kind of reaction.
“Not sure Detroit should be allowed to make trades, sign free agents or hire coaches,” Bill Simmons wrote on X.
The moves could solidify the 33-18 Knicks as a legitimate title contender and help in the short-term as the deal with injuries to Brunson, Randle and O.G. Anunoby.
The acquisition of Anunoby for Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett on Dec. 30 has worked out brilliantly in New York.
Anunoby’s rugged defense and spot-up shooting has been a perfect fit alongside Randle and Brunson — two stars who often dominate the ball on offense.
The Knicks are 16-3 since the trade and are tied with the Bucks for third in the Eastern Conference and one game behind the Cavaliers.
However, Anunoby is currently sidelined with bone spurs in his elbow.
