The Knicks traded Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks to the Pistons. In return, the Knicks received Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdonovic.
After trading for OG Anunouby back in the beginning of January, New York was not done with building a roster that could contend in the east.
“We’re always looking for ways that we can improve our team” Coach Tom Thibideou “Leon and his staff I thought did a great job at looking at all the opportunities.”
Alec Burks was a former Knick from 2020-2022 and is a 13 season veteran who has made a career off of being a backup shooting guard.
Burks averaged 12.6 points off the bench for the Pistons in only 21 minutes of action. The Knicks will need the added depth at guard and points to produce an extra boost for the starters for the final stretch of the regular season.
The bigger prize in the trade for the Knicks was small forward Bojan Bogdonovic who has averaged at least 17 points per game in each of the last 6 seasons. Bogdonovic has scored 20.6 points per game this season and looks to give the Knicks another offensive weapon.
The additions of Burks and Bogdonovic were necessary pieces to help a Knicks scoring offense that was ranked 15th in the entire NBA. The improvements on the Knicks offense has set themselves to compete with any team when playoffs come around.
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are capable of leading a dangerous starting five that nobody wants to play. This lineup would also include OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdonivc, and Isaiah Hartenstein to help the two all-stars.
Donte DiVincenzo and Alec Burks will also come off the bench to add important minutes for the playoff rotation. Adding Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdonovic from the trade has possibly made the Knicks the biggest dark horse to win the NBA Championship.
