The New York Knicks made an unexpected move ahead of the trade deadline when they sent Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier to the Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Many people declared that New York won the deadline, but that hasn't been the case.
Bogdanovic and Burks have struggled in the past month and a half. Since the trade, the former is averaging 10.6 points per game, shooting 38.8% from the field and 34.2% from three. The latter is averaging 7.9 points per contest, shooting 32.6% from the field and 31% from deep. Their shooting numbers have dipped significantly from what they were in the first half of the season in Detroit.
It gets worse than that. Tommy Beer pointed out that since the end of February, only three players in the league are shooting south of 34% from the field and 30% from three. You'll never guess who they are.
Dating back to the end of February, there are only three players (min 50 FG attempts) shooting below 34% from the floor and below 30% from downtown:
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) March 22, 2024
Evan Fournier,
Bojan Bogdanovic,
and
Alec Burks
Grimes is still dealing with a knee injury, so he's played in only six games for the Pistons. His sample size in Detroit is too small to analyze. Fournier was desperate to be traded to prove himself, but he hasn't done so. Neither have Bogdanovic or Burks.
Players involved in Knicks-Pistons deadline trade are struggling
Bogdanovic's life will be easier if Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson return before the playoffs. He'll get more open looks and will be able to hide more on defense. The problem is that there's no guarantee New York will get fully healthy. The other problem is that Bogdanovic's shooting has been concerning.
Burks has had a couple of solid games, including on Thursday against Denver when he shot 5-of-11 for 18 points. Even then, if the Knicks get healthy, he could be on his way out of the rotation. Miles McBride has been on a surge recently and is only improving. Burks will be an unrestricted free agent over the summer, so he will likely be a short-term rental.
Having shooters stashed on the bench is always a bonus in the playoffs. New York didn't have that last year, and it was apparent. The Knicks "sacrificed" Grimes for Bogdanovic, who has averaged 13.7 points per game in the playoffs in his career. New York will be hard to stop if he can get it going.
Luckily, there's still time for Bogdanovic (and Burks) to turn things around.