While there weren’t any star players on the move ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, several deals did get done throughout the day. One of the teams who ended up making arguably the biggest splash was the New York Knicks.
New York acquired Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two future second-round picks. It was a savvy move by Leon Rose and William Wesley, who added two bonafide rotation pieces while giving up only one and surrendering zero first-round picks.
It was something that drew praise for Los Angeles Lakers legend, Magic Johnson. No longer formally involved with the franchise, he can speak freely on things that go on in the NBA and he likes what he saw from Rose and Wesley, two people he considers friends.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Leon Rose, William Wesley, 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, New York Knicks Updates
Bogdanovic and Burks provide the Knicks with two more elite 3-point shooters to put around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. The biggest issue New York faced during the 2023 NBA Postseason was teams being able to load up on Brunson and not having guys capable of knocking down shots around him.
That will no longer be the case. The Knicks now have five players, Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, Bogdanovic and Burks who are shooting 40+ percent on 3-pointers. Good luck slowing down Brunson and Randle when Tom Thibodeau can surround them with at least two shooters in every lineup.
The additions of Bogdanovic and Burks are thought highly of by Johnson. He believes the Knicks are now legitimate threats to win the Eastern Conference.
The other big trade the Knicks made a few weeks ago was acquiring OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Flynn from the Toronto Raptors. That deal cost them Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, but the only draft compensation sent out was a future second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Leon Rose, William Wesley, 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, New York Knicks Updates
Acquiring four legitimate rotation players in Anunboy, Achiuwa, Bogdanovic and Burks without surrendering a single first-round pick is incredible work by the front office. What Rose and Wesley accomplished is now drawing national NBA media attention, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe praised their work during a TV appearance on Thursday.
“Suddenly, the New York Knicks are operating like the single smartest franchise in the entire NBA… they’re in as good a position as anybody outside Boston and maybe Cleveland to make a run to the Finals,” Lowe said.
There hasn’t been this level of excitement and legitimate confidence surrounding the Knicks in a long time. For most of this century, they were the laughingstock of the NBA, incapable of making any correct moves. That is no longer the case as Rose has the team in a position to not only contend this season but acquire a superstar in the offseason should the opportunity present itself.
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