The New York Knicks are left with little to no options for improving the team going into the 2022-23 season. However, after the recent trade of Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Utah Jazz are still looking to unload more veteran players from their roster to completely immerse themselves in a rebuild. Some of those players include Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Bojan Bogdanovic.
A recent report by Sam Amico stated that the Knicks are among the interested suitors for Bogdanovic. Given what we just went through with Mitchell, it’s surprising that the Knicks’ front office would be willing to deal with Danny Ainge again.
Nevertheless, the 33-year-old forward from Croatia put up 18.1 points per game while shooting about 46% from the field and 39% from behind the arc last season. Bogdanovic has been a core member of the Jazz for the past three seasons after spending time in Indiana, Washington, and Brooklyn. It’s no surprise that he has garnered a lot of attention in the trade market. Sharpshooting wing players have become a necessity for any team hoping to have any success in the NBA.
The Eastern Conference looks to be the most competitive it has been in a long time, which means the Knicks will have to fight tooth and nail for a spot in the playoffs. When looking at the current roster, even a devoted Knicks fan like myself has a hard time believing that we’ll be among the conference’s great teams.
With just a few weeks before the start of training camp, the time is now if New York is going to make any moves. Although, this particular trade is one the Knicks shouldn’t entertain. Let’s discuss three reasons why New York shouldn’t trade for Bojan Bogdanovic.
3 reasons the Knicks shouldn’t trade for Bojan Bogdanovic
1. There’s no space for him in the rotation
Frankly, it doesn’t seem like the Knicks need more forwards. With RJ Barrett and Julius Randle playing a vast majority of the minutes at the forward positions, where would Bogdanovic’s minutes come from? Bogdanovic has started every game he’s played in since the 2017-18 season, averaging just over 30 minutes per game. I doubt that he’d accept a bench role on a team fighting for a play-in spot.
Starting Bogdanovic would mean moving Barrett to the two and benching Evan Fournier. Don’t get me wrong, I would love Fournier to come off the bench. He’s too streaky of a shooter to have that type of green light in the starting lineup. However, that would mean Fournier would be taking minutes away from other guys on the bench like Obi Toppin, Cam Reddish, Quentin Grimes, and offseason acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein.
I think there are a lot of guys on this team that deserve ample playing time, especially when the majority of the roster has no more than four years of NBA experience. Many Knicks fans were frustrated last season over the lack of playing time that Reddish got. The same can be said about Toppin, who shined at the end of the season playing extended minutes filling in for an injured Randle, which included a 42-point eruption against the Raptors. I don’t see a way for head coach Tom Thibodeau to play Toppin and Reddish in meaningful minutes if Bogdanovic is acquired.
Perhaps if Fournier was included in a potential deal, that would open up minutes to play the other wing players on the bench while also accommodating Bogdanovic. The problem with that is addressed on the next page.
2. The Jazz will ask for draft picks in return
After trading their two franchise players in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz are looking to stockpile draft assets. The Gobert trade gave the Jazz multiple first-round picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cleveland sent three unprotected picks and two pick swaps to Utah for Mitchell. I would imagine any trade for the Jazz’s remaining rotational pieces would require at least one draft pick in order for it to be beneficial for Utah.
Sending draft capital to the Jazz for an aging veteran in Bogdanovic would make absolutely no sense. Draft picks are so valuable nowadays and they shouldn’t be given up for just anybody. Not to mention, Bogdanovic is on an expiring contract, which means that he’ll likely walk to a contender in need of a shooter after the coming season. It just simply isn’t worth it.
I’d much rather save our draft picks for whenever another disgruntled superstar becomes available on the trade market, and in the meantime develop the young talent we already have. Even if no superstar target arises, potentially drafting a future superstar is way more enticing than a year of Bojan Bogdanovic.
It may go against the grain in terms of what the Knicks have done in the past, but it’s proven to be the smartest way to build a team. We should know better from the consequences of the Carmelo Anthony trade back in 2011.
3. Bogdanovic is just a scorer and not a defender
I can’t deny that the offense Bogdanovic offers could go a long way. He’s been lighting it up in FIBA EuroBasket this summer, but what else does he offer? We saw in 2021-22 that despite what a player brings on offense, Thibodeau values a player’s contribution on defense a lot more. Ask Kemba Walker. It may be old-fashioned, but that’s the way Thibodeau rolls, and it won’t change for Bogdanovic.
Opponents shot 49% from the field when guarded by Bogdanovic last season and his DBPM (defensive box plus/minus) was a -1.6, which ranked 166th in the league. For context, 38-year-old Carmelo Anthony in his 19th season had a DBPM of -0.8. Say what you want about advanced analytics, but the stats are the stats. Even Fournier’s are even better than that.
After being a top 10 defensive team in 2020-21, I don’t think doing anything to mess with that is worth entertaining. Not to mention, Bogdanovic isn’t a game changer in any shape or form. There’s no reason to believe that Reddish couldn’t be a Bogdanovic-type of player given the opportunity, while also holding his own on the defensive end.
3-and-D guys are all over the NBA. The talent that can be developed on the roster, or possibly added on through the draft, is what the Knicks really need. A home-grown superstar is New York’s saving grace, not a role player just making another stop.
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