The New York Knicks were one of the more active teams at the NBA Trade Deadline and in the weeks leading up. After strengthening their defense with the trade for OG Anunoby in December, the Knicks added more offensive firepower at the deadline in acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks have vaulted into the top echelon of the Eastern Conference and are looking to contend this season. While the deadline was on Thursday, more details have emerged from the trade via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
In addition to acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, the Knicks will also be sending a 2028 second round pick, a 2029 second round pick and $3 million to the Pistons. There’s obviously no guarantee that those second round picks ever amount to anything, but second rounders have become a little more valuable in recent years.
Second round picks are good, cap friendly way to develop younger players and stash them in the G League. For a team like the Pistons, having more draft capital is a good thing.
On the Knicks side of things, they get two veteran wing players capable of putting up points. While the Knicks lost Quentin Grimes in the trade, this move can pay off in a big way. Bogdanovic had been averaging 20.2 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from three point range. Burks had been averaging 12.6 points and shooting 40.1 percent from three point range.
The Knicks are currently 33-19 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are only two games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second seed.
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