Bogdanovic, Burks Trade: Leon Rose's Knicks Masterpiece?
The millennial New York Knicks fan's experience mostly consists of waiting for the other shoe to drop. At this point, the footwear is still in orbit and is taking its sweet time falling.
The narrative of the Knicks' increasingly magical 2023-24 campaign shifted from the hardwood to the transactional ledger on Thursday: hours before the NBA's trade deadline, the Knicks have reportedly agreed upon a deal that obtained Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ryan Arcidiacono, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, and two second-round picks.
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Five-plus decades of negligence allow pessimism to emerge: what does it say about the Knicks' drafting abilities considering Grimes' departure leaves only two homegrown products (Miles McBride, Jericho Sims) in the active rotation? How will franchise face Jalen Brunson perform knowing one of his closest friends has been dealt away (again)? How did the long-exiled Fournier last two extra years on the roster?
But if those are fans' biggest issues, let's save (North) America the time and hand Leon Rose the Executive of the Year Award now.
Grading trades in the immediate aftermath is a tired, futile exercise but the undeniable fact of the matter is that Rose just swung a 20-plus point scorer and a familiar depth star with his biggest loss being an injured first-round project whose ceiling appears to be fringe starter at best (Grimes). Any idea of Rose sleeping away yet another deadline is thoroughly debunked, as the Knicks are set to boast one of the deepest teams in the Eastern Conference as this season lets out.
Rose has been stoic, almost to a fault, since taking over the Knicks' primary decision-making duties in 2020 but this undeniable flex is a loud fiery statement, one that has bought New York respect and patience. It could well become the move that defines Rose's time at the de facto helm of the Knicks' ledgers, no matter how long that lasts.
Thanks to Rose's roar, even injuries and more are working in the Knicks' favor at this point. Everything about the Knicks' past week of play (i.e. a loss to the Lakers, the mystery around OG Anunoby's elbow injury, Brunson and Julius Randle leaving one-sided games for the locker room) has felt like a tipping point, a swift kickback to reality for a franchise that has spent far too much time dwelling in the basketball underworld.
Newly acquired depth stars have built a fully armed and operational basketball battle station, no matter who's suiting up on a nightly basis.
What the deal with Detroit represents from Rose's perspective is growth and adaptation: every sign points to Randle returning from a dislocated shoulder this season, but last year's exhilarating, if not all too brief, playoff trek proved that the three-time All-Star's mere post-injury presence isn't enough to guarantee any form of sustained success. At 6-7 and capable of firing from deep, they found a bargain replacement capable of accepting extended responsibilities. Bogdanovic also serves as the long-sought Obi Toppin fill-in who wasn't immediately found after his necessary transfer to Indiana.
The Knicks' bench has struggled to score with Immanuel Quickley sent to Toronto in the Anunoby deal. Bringing in a familiar face like Burks allows him to team up with a newfound scorer like McBride with little to no transition period and immediately boost the second unit's backcourt production. Granted, it's not a one-for-one swap most envision, but the unit is nonetheless enriched with two men capable of putting in 12 a night in relief.
If Bogdanovic and Burks don't seem like the long-sought "elite" names the Knicks have long-sought, that's because they're probably not: their names probably wouldn't appear on the marquee at the old Madison Square Garden, for example. But these are the practical pieces the Knicks needed, moves of maturity and necessity built for scoreboards rather than highlight reels.
With Rose's latest moves, the Knicks might finally be able to bloom, no matter what the second half storm brings.
