No team, including the Knicks, was certain whether Bojan Bogdanovic would be available via trade at the deadline, writes SNY’s Ian Begley. Decision-makers in Detroit were split on whether to keep him and guard Alec Burks, but ultimately decided to move off both.
New York managed to acquire both players, who had been on their radar during various time periods. The Knicks were interested in getting some scoring help off the bench and accomplished that by bringing in Bogdanovic and Burks.
Before figuring out which way the Pistons were leaning in regards to keeping or selling Bogdanovic and Burks, the Knicks checked in on Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins and now-Piston Shake Milton, according to Begley. Milton was ultimately traded from the Timberwolves to Detroit as part of a package for Monte Morris, but it’s clear the Knicks were eager to add scoring to their lineup.
We have more notes on the Knicks:
- Knicks players were happy about the team acquiring both Bogdanovic and Burks, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I think Leon [Rose] and the front office was cooking,” Josh Hart said. While the Villanova trio of Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson and Hart were sad to see fellow alum Ryan Arcidiacono leave as part of the trade, they appear to be on board with what the front office is doing. The Knicks are 16-4 since the New Year but are dealing with a plethora of injuries — including long-term ones with Julius Randle and OG Anunoby. Those injuries left them with an eight-man rotation on Thursday after the deadline, with a bench rotation consisting of a 10-day contract player and a pair of two-way players. Bogdanovic and Burks are expected to provide an instant boost.
- The Knicks traded their own 2028 and 2029 second-round pick to Detroit in the Bogdanovic/Burks trade, according to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov (Twitter link). New York also sent $3MM to Detroit.
- New York’s injury issues got worse on Thursday when center Isaiah Hartenstein exited with a recurring Achilles injury after only 15 minutes of play. He was ruled out for the Knicks’ game against the Pacers on Saturday, according to Botte. Hartenstein is averaging 8.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per agme as a starter this season. With Hartenstein out, Botte writes the Knicks may turn to two-way player Jacob Toppin, who would be squaring off against his brother Obi Toppin. “It was amazing having him on the court with me [in Indiana]. Hopefully we can do that again,” Obi Toppin said last time Indiana visited. “It would be even better if we are able to do that here in New York and at the Garden.“
- Grimes, who was drafted by the Knicks with the 25th overall pick in 2021, expressed his gratitude to the Knicks after being traded to the Pistons on Thursday. “It was an honor to be able to wear a Knicks jersey and represent the city!” Grimes tweeted. “Your love and support throughout the years has meant the world. Forever grateful to the entire Knicks organization, my teammates, and most importantly the fans. THANK YOU, NEW YORK.“
Bogie is having a pretty rough season. Career low PER and basically the worst rated defensive player. He will play a role for a better Knicks teams but people surprised at the cost to get him shouldn’t be. He’s almost a negative asset when factoring defense.
We needed warm bodies desperately. At worst, he’ll contribute more than Fournier and be a tradable contract for the offseason. Burks fits better than Grimes right now, and the 2RPs are a throwaway given their remaining trove and timeline. Even if Bogie doesn’t recover his form, the trade is a win.
if you’re talking about bogdanovic, he has 3 seasons of a per lower than this year
Bojan is not in NY for his defense or his PER. He’s there because he is shooting .468/.415/.779 on a lot of shots and scoring 20 points a game. Knicks are one of the best defensive teams in the league and can cover Bojan’s bad defense.
You realize a 3pt shot is worth 50% more than a 2pt shot and he hits them at a 40% clip.
That’s quite a positive asset.
On defense his Dwar in Utah was respectable. In Detroit nobody played D. Bogie can guard big men well with his 6’7 frame.
You mean they looked into Wiggins. But not into DeM DeR ……. come on !! That’s crazy
Knicks just have to get healthy. I just want everyone to take their time and get healthy and right. We got the depth to wait on you. Depth in the playoffs shows more. I don’t see Knicks as contenders. In a seven gm series they can beat Anyone. So teams better come ready to play. Should be a fun playoffs…….
The fit test defensively with BB will come when Randle returns, and we play both together, at 3 & 4. The results are as much on Randle as BB; if we get the good Randle on that side of the ball, it shouldn’t be a big problem. If it is, we’ll just use that lineup less frequently. Anyway, that’s a ways away.
For now, the NYK need BB to get incorporated into the team structure as soon as possible, so he can be a “second option” (by default) to Brunson. I think Brunson will try to play before the AS break to help facilitate that. I think BB is far more capable of a quick incorporation than most scorers, but it’s not like incorporating a guy like Hart. It’s not going to happen overnight. Although I’d be happy to be wrong on that front.
The Knicks should have kept Ryan A and traded Charlie Brown or someone else instead. I still think Grimes was a keeper. Knicks are hoarding first round picks for a SuperStar that will never come.
Ryan A’s salary was needed. Brown is a 2way and can’t be used.
Grimes is a loss, not a guy I would have traded. But they acquired at least one guy (maybe two) who would have limited his minutes creating a bad situation. The FRPs don’t complain about minutes. But they, alone, won’t get you a star.