There's a lot to like about this deal from the Knicks perspective. Having gone 16-3 since
OG Anunoby debuted on New Year's Day, New York has moved into a crowded race for the second seed in the Eastern Conference with the
Cleveland Cavaliers,
Milwaukee Bucks and maybe the reeling
Philadelphia 76ers.
The winner of that competition will have a more favorable first-round matchup against a team from the play-in tournament, as well as home-court advantage in a possible conference semifinals series. The team that finishes fourth draws one of the others in the first round and the top-seeded
Boston Celtics in the second round, meaning there's much at stake.
Although they haven't yet shown up in the Knicks' record, injuries to Anunoby (who has missed the plast five games with
bone spur irritation in his right elbow) and Randle (out the next week or two after suffering a shoulder dislocation) have begun to fray New York's depth.
Precious Achiuwa, acquired in the Anunoby trade as a backup center, has logged at least 40 minutes each of the plast four games, primarily as Randle's replacement at power forward.
Moreover, the Knicks having only All-Star point guard
Jalen Brunson as a primary shot creator has led defenses to trap Brunson more aggressively. The
Los Angeles Lakers were able to take the ball out of Brunson's hands down the stretch of their come-from-behind win at Madison Square Garden last Saturday, during which New York was limited to 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Even at full strength, the Knicks sacrificed some of their guard depth and second-unit scoring punch by sending
Immanuel Quickley to the
Toronto Raptors in the Anunoby trade. Enter Burks, who has been one of the NBA's better reserves this season amidst Detroit's struggles, as well as Bogdanovic. Suddenly, New York again has one of the NBA's best benches at full strength, as well as capable fill-ins for Anunoby and Randle during their absences.
Burks, who spent two seasons with the Knicks before being traded to Detroit in the summer of 2022 as they cleared cap space to sign Brunson, is averaging a career-high 21.6 points per 36 minutes -- similar to the 22.5 Quickley had averaged prior to the trade. Burks' efficiency (.592 true shooting percentage (TS%) in two seasons with the Pistons) is also in the same ballpark as Quickley (.598 TS% this season in New York).
Add it up, and Burks ranked 13th in my wins above replacement (WARP) metric among players who have started fewer than half their games and are eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, five spots behind Quickley -- last season's runner-up for the award. His versatility is also a plus; Burks can play alongside
Miles McBride, who has been backing up Brunson since the Quickley trade, or serve as the Knicks' backup point guard if coach Tom Thibodeau wants to cut his playoff guard rotation.
But Burks isn't really the centerpiece of this trade. That's Bogdanovic, who was one of the most coveted players at last year's deadline. Bogdanovic missed this season's first 19 games, including the majority of Detroit's record 28-game losing streak, due to a calf strain. Since returning, Bogdanovic has averaged 20.2 PPG on an above-average .600 TS%, the latter right on his career mark.
The biggest question for Thibodeau will be finding enough minutes for Bogdanovic when New York has Anunoby and Randle ahead of him in the forward rotation, as well as
Josh Hart coming off the bench. For now, Bogdanovic slides into the starting lineup and provides shot making that will punish defenses who trap the ball out of Brunson's hands.
With Bogdanovic and Burks, the Knicks should head into the playoffs with a robust eight-man rotation as deep as any in the league while also having added high-end talent in the form of Anunoby. The path to the conference finals will be challenging no matter where they finish in the East standings, but New York has improved its chances of reaching the East finals for the first time since 2000.
Financially, this deal works well for the Knicks, too. They've saved enough room ($2.5 million) to fill the three open roster spots on their bench and likely stay under the luxury-tax line. If New York makes the NBA Finals, a $250K incentive for
Donte DiVincenzo will kick in, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, that could push the Knicks into the tax.
Next season, Bogdanovic's $19 million salary is just $2 million guaranteed until July 4, giving New York similar flexibility to Fournier's $19 million team option. If guaranteed, Bogdanovic can serve as an expiring salary in a possible trade for a star while also helping the Knicks if he sticks around. Given a likely raise for Anunoby (who can become an unrestricted free agent by declining a $19.9 million player option), re-signing Burks would surely push New York into the tax next season, but that's an option too.
Remarkably, the Knicks have pulled off both this trade and the one for Anunoby without dipping into their stash of first-round picks. Instead, New York has relied on young talent developed in-house. Grimes has outperformed his No. 25 draft spot, but his role diminished this season with the emergence of newcomer
Donte DiVincenzo, and Grimes has only one year left on his bargain rookie deal. Giving him up is a small price to pay for everything the Knicks accomplished with this move.
That French fakkit Fournier can have fun in Detroit.
every time Grimes touched the ball. Pause.
Him and @Anerdyblackguy fakkit ass, too.
