Grade the Trade: Knicks take five steps back in questionable mock proposal

Would the Knicks say yes?

It's impossible to justify why the Knicks would make this trade. They'd be better off keeping Bogdanovic until the 2025 deadline. Even if New York loses Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency (and Precious Achiwua), the front office shouldn't be interested in Williams. The 26-year-old is injury-prone. In the past two seasons, he's played 41 games (35 with the Celtics in 2022-23 and six with the Trail Blazers in 2023-24).

It wouldn't make sense for New York to have Mitchell Robinson and Williams on the roster. Robinson has an injury history, but he's more reliable than Williams. The current Portland center wouldn't fill much of a need. Availability is the best ability.

Sending two first-round picks wouldn't deplete the Knicks' assets, but in this instance, there's no need to trade those picks for two role players. Good trades upgrade the roster, and this proposed trade wouldn't do that. If ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the above trade, the NBA world would be perplexed.

The only reason New York should trade Bogdanovic is if it is for a star-level player. There is a chance that player might not hit the market before 2025, but the Knicks would be better off holding out rather than proceeding with this trade.

Fans would storm MSG with their pitchforks if this trade came to life. That might be an exaggeration, but the reaction wouldn't be that far off.

Grade: F