The Knicks are trading for forward Bojan Bogdanovic and guard Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a package that includes Quentin Grimes.
New York is also sending Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks to Detroit.
"We're thrilled to add Bojan Bogdanovic to the Knicks family and welcome back Alec Burks," Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. "Bojan brings a tremendous amount of basketball experience to our team, both from the NBA and internationally. He is an elite scorer who has solidified himself as one of the best shooters in the NBA, which will complement our team. Alec played an integral role throughout our 2020-21 playoff season, understands and embraces the culture here, and will bring a lot of value to our group.
"We'd like to extend our deepest thanks to Evan, Malachi, Quentin and Ryan for their contributions both on and off the court as well as their professionalism and hard work. We wish all of them nothing but the best moving forward."
The Knicks have been one of the top teams in basketball since the OG Anunoby trade with the Toronto Raptors, but with the injuries to Julius Randle (shoulder) and Anunoby (elbow) the Knicks needed to bolster their lineup with another capable forward.
According to Begley, the uncertainty of Anunoby's injury has factored into New York's deadline approach. While the forward had been making progress last week, he remains out of the lineup with what the team is calling bone spur irritation.
The 34-year-old Bogdanovic is having a very good season with Detroit, averaging 20.2 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the field and 41.5 percent shooting from three. Following this season, Bogdanovic's contract is partially guaranteed in 2024-25 before he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Anunoby trade earlier this season that sent Immanuel Quickley to Toronto also depleted the Knicks of their bench scoring, which is where the need for a bench guard like Burks comes in. Having spent two seasons in New York, the 32-year-old was seen as one of the team's top options from the beginning.
Burks has familiarity with the team and Tom Thibodeau’s system, and the veteran coach trusts him, having promoted the guard to the starting lineup during that tenure. He’s also a ball-handler and has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc in each of the past four seasons.
“We’re looking forward to Alec and Bojan coming in,” Thibodeau said later on Thursday. “Alec we’re familiar with because he’s been here, we know what a great fit he is for us. Bojan we’ve gone against him for quite a bit, I think he gives us added depth, the shooting piece is really important for us. We think they compliment our players really well.”
The head coach added: “We like the balance that we have [on the roster now]. We like the experience that those guys bring to the team. We like the way they compliment both our starters and our second unit, so we think they’re interchangeable, they play multiple positions and we’ll go from there.”
Burks has slotted in well with Detroit after being acquired following the 2022 season, averaging a combined 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, while shooting 41 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point land.
And now, he’ll look to provide that same type of production down the stretch for the injury-plagued Knicks.
Grimes was a former first-round pick for the Knicks and his three seasons have been up and down. After a solid rookie season where he scored six points a game on 40.4 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent from three in limited minutes, Quentin elevated his game in year two.
His sophomore season saw him average 11.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting, including 38.6 percent from three -- both career highs. However, Grimes saw his role diminish with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo as he was moved to the second unit. In 45 games this season, Grimes averaged 7.3 points on 39.5 percent shooting, including 36.3 percent from three.
The Knicks (33-18) will now look to continue their push toward the postseason, and that begins Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks.