A deal has been reached — and it’s a good one.
The Knicks accomplished their goal of bolstering the bench with a Deadline Day move with the Detroit Pistons.
New York has traded Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and a pair of second-round picks to Detroit in exchange for veteran guard Alec Burks and forward Bojan Bogdanovic, according to ESPN.
It is a move that clearly improves the roster without costing the Knicks’ front office any of its valuable first-round draft pick capital, which the organization is hoarding for an offseason move should a marquee player become available via trade.
The deal will also help the team stay afloat amid worsening injury news to its starting forward.
The Knicks updated OG Anunoby’s right elbow injury from just inflammation to bone spur irritation on Wednesday, a clear signal the star wing’s situation is more severe than initially thought of. Anunoby has been ruled out for the sixth consecutive game against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
And with Julius Randle expected to miss an extended period of time after dislocating his right shoulder, the Knicks desperately needed scoring help to take some of the offensive pressure off of Jalen Brunson.
Thursday’s move kills two birds with one stone: It gives Brunson support while the Knicks work through their injuries and bolsters a struggling second unit for when the starters return to good health.
The Knicks’ bench ranked second-to-last in scoring ahead of only the Phoenix Suns following the Dec. 31 Anunoby trade after sending Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Immanuel Quickley and former No. 3 overall pick R.J. Barrett — both of whom captained the second unit pre-trade — to the Toronto Raptors
The bench scoring woes project to change with both Burks and Bogdanovic en route to The Big Apple.
Burks is a Tom Thibodeau favorite having played for Thibs’ Knicks in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Familiarity played a role in the Knicks’ pursuit of the 32-year-old wing who is shooting 40% or better from three in each of his last five seasons. Burks averaged 12.6 points over his last season-and-a-half in Detroit and has proven capable of facilitating offense with averages of three assists per game off the bench in his final season in New York.
But make no mistake: Bogdanovic is the darling of the deal.
The Knicks have had interest in Bogdanovic for several seasons and finally landed their man on Thursday. The Croatian forward has averaged 20-plus points over the past season-and-a-half in Detroit and is a career 39.5% three-point shooter who was part of two high-pressure playoff seasons with Donovan Mitchell’s Utah Jazz in 2021 and 2022.
The pair of former Pistons slide perfectly into the rotation both while shorthanded due to injury and when the Knicks return to full strength. Without Randle and Anunoby, the Knicks have started Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart at the four and three spots, respectively.
And while it has worked to the tune of a 4-1 record since both Randle and Anunoby left the rotation, the Knicks needed to improve their roster to maintain their standing as a top-four team in the Eastern Conference.
Bogdanovic and Burks project to shoulder a heightened offensive load while the Knicks’ stars recover, and when Anunoby and Randle return to form, the Detroit expats will improve a bench New York needs solidified to improve its odds at a second consecutive deep playoff run.
The Knicks were among the more active teams approaching Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline, and they were expected to move Grimes. The three-and-D wing quickly became the primary trade chip for a New York front office uninterested in parting ways with significant draft capital.
The organization is holding onto said first-round picks in case a star-level player becomes available on the trade market this summer. The Knicks were able to get a deal done while only surrendering second-round capital.
Grimes fell out of Thibodeau’s starting lineup after complaining of a limited offensive role earlier in the season. The No. 25 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft is in the third year of his rookie contract. He now gets an opportunity to showcase the range of his game in Detroit on a Pistons team whose 7-43 record as of the trade ranks worst in the NBA.
The Knicks were also expected to move Fournier, who holds an $18.857 million expiring contract that the Knicks have been attempting to use as salary filler in a deal all season.
They needed to include Flynn and Arcidiacono in order to meet the deal’s salary-matching requirement of a deal: The Knicks took back Bogdanovic’s $20 million salary plus $10.4 million more acquiring Burks.
Bogdanovic has one more year worth $19 million on his contract, but it is only guaranteed for $2 million if the Knicks waive him by June 29.
Burks is in a contract year and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Knicks made a deal that improves the team now but still maintains its flexibility in case the front office decides to push its chips to the center of the table next summer.
It’s a win-now move while leaving room for an even bigger win later — a win-win for the Knicks, the front office, and sustained success in New York for seasons to come.
