The New York Knicks acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons on Thursday in exchange for guards Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks.
For New York, which is currently dealing with injuries to Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby, the addition of two veterans who can step into the rotation immediately would help solidify a team that looks to be top in the Eastern Conference. -Expecting to finish with second seed. , The team announced later Thursday that Anunoby would be missing at least three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a loose bone fragment in his right elbow.
The 34-year-old Bogdanovic is averaging 20.2 points and shooting 41.5% from 3-point range for Detroit this season and will immediately step in as the team’s starting power forward with Randle out. A versatile scorer and shooter, Bogdanovic will help take pressure off All-Star Jalen Brunson and provide the Knicks with more scoring off the bench once their injured players return to the court.
He also has a partially guaranteed deal for next season, giving the Knicks the option to either keep Bogdanovic on the roster or move on from him depending on his salary situation.
The 32-year-old Burks spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons with New York before signing a deal with the Pistons, averaging 12.7 points in his first season and 11.7 points in his second. In 43 games for Detroit this season, Burke averaged 12.6 points while shooting 40.1% from 3-point range on 5.7 attempts per game.
The 23-year-old Grimes was selected 25th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by New York and spent most of last season as a starter for the Knicks before being moved into a bench role early this season. But he should fit well on the wing for the Pistons, a team that needs shooting, as he is a career 37.9% 3-point shooter on five attempts per game.
The 31-year-old Fournier has appeared in just three games this season after being taken out of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation last season. He has a team option for next season and if he is released from Detroit he would be an interesting player for competing teams in the buyout market.
Flynn arrived in New York in the Anunoby trade with Toronto just last month, and Arcidiacono played 20 games off the bench for New York in mop-up minutes this season and never scored a point.
