The New York Knicks pulled off somewhat of a surprising deal heading into Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The Knicks sent guards Quentin Grimes, Malachai Flynn, Evan Fournier and Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks to Detroit in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and veteran Alec Burks.
Coming into this season, New York was viewed as a team on the rise, but not yet quite a championship contender. This move coupled with last month’s acquisition of OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa show that New York has the mindset that this season could result in a championship. The organization has been aggressive in making subtle deals to improve the roster. This is a different mindset for a team that has been in rebuild mode for some time now.
One of New York’s glaring weaknesses has been scoring off the bench. Immanuel Quickley was traded last month which left the Knicks weak at the point of attack without their starters. With the acquisition of Bogdonavic and Burks New York most certainly bolstered up their bench scoring. In 43 games with Detroit this season Burks tallied 12.6 points and 2.6 rebounds on 51 percent from the field. This is Burks second stint with the Knicks. For the past year a return to New York has been rumored which has now come to fruition.
Bogdanovic was one of the bright spots for the lowly Detroit Pistons this season. In 27 games with the Pistons this season, he’s averaged 20.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assist. Bogdanovic likely won’t put those numbers up in New York due to a lesser role on the team but should get his share of opportunities with the current state of the Knicks bench.
Grimes being included in the package deal came as a surprise to many. The second-year swingman appeared ready to take on a bigger role in the Knicks offense due to Quickley and R.J Barrett being dealt to Toronto. However, apparently the Knicks didn’t see Grimes as part of their future. Grimes youthful exuberance will certainly be missed. He approached the game with a mean streak coupled with an aura of confidence. Grimes will be missed.
This trade marks the end of Fournier’s tumultuous time with the Knicks. Fournier was famously benched last season by Tom Thibodeau for lack of effort on the defensive end. Since then, he hasn’t been able to work his way back into the rotation. Prior to this season audio of Fournier criticizing Thibodeau over lack of playing time was leaked. Thibodeau however, doesn’t seem to have lost any sleep over Fournier’s newfound communication with the media. Fournier getting dealt was inevitable. In 2021 he inked a four-year $73,000,000 deal with the Knicks. Fournier didn’t seem to fit in on both ends of the court at times.
Prior to the deal Arcidiacono hadn’t scored a point for the Knicks all season. However, him leaving means there’s one less Villanova alum on the Knicks roster. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte Divincenzo and Arcidiacono all famously played together and won two NCAA Championships in college. Miles Mcbride’s recent ascension to Knicks backup guard made Arcidiacono expendable.
New York most certainly deepened their roster with these acquisitions. They got rid of dead weight in Fournier and Arcidiacono who weren’t providing anything and brought in two viable veterans that possess the ability to score points, more importantly off the bench.
Seeing Grimes go is a tough cookie to swallow. New York has traded home grown talent as of late in an attempt to move up the chain of command in the East. These acquisitions are common when dealing with a team trying to get over the cusp. However, it doesn’t make it any better seeing them go!
