The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons were two of the busiest teams at the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
New York moved on from Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier, two players they were long rumored to have on the market, for immediate scoring help from Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic (who is averaging more than 20.0 points per game for the third time in the NBA).
Even though Grimes showed promise early in his NBA career, Burks and Bogdanovic are two veterans who can step on the court and help the Knicks contend in the Eastern Conference this season.
While more moves could come for both teams before the deadline, let’s get into these trade grades on this specific deal:
The details
Knicks get: Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks
Raptors get: Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono, two second-round picks
New York Knicks
What was best about this trade for New York was that they added multiple shot-creators without sacrificing any future first-round picks or rotation players. They added a player that head coach Tom Thibodeau has trusted in Burks. This also offers some potential insurance for injured frontcourt players (e.g. Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson) with Bogdanovic.
It is unclear how much Thibodeau will trust him as a defender but his deal is only partially guaranteed for next season. This move also cleared roster spots, which allows them to sign players in the buyout market should anyone of interest become available to them.
GRADE: B
Detroit Pistons
Even though Detroit wasn’t able to get anywhere close to what they were seeking in exchange for Bogdanovic, buying low on Quentin Grimes was a smart move for the Pistons. Their roster is now wildly overcrowded and they will need to cut or trade several players, so expect more moves to come soon from this front office.
GRADE: C-
