Bojan Bogdanovic-to-the-Knicks trade rumors aren’t new, but they are renewed now that his Detroit Pistons are in the mix for the league’s worst record for the fifth-straight season.
Here’s what you need to know:
Bogdanovic is a 31-year-old Yugoslavian forward whose streak shooting and playmaking capabilities earned him premier roles with the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz. He is also a known crunch-time performer during his time playing alongside Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert on a perennial Western Conference contending Jazz team.
Utah traded Bogdanovic to Detroit in late Sep. 2022 after Mitchell’s trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers ushered in a Jazz rebuild.
Bogdanovic averaged a career-high 21.6 points per game on close to 50-40-90 percent splits from the field, three-point range and the foul line last season with the Pistons. He returned to Detroit on a two-year deal worth $39 million, but only $22 million of the $39 million is guaranteed.
Bogdanovic missed the beginning of the regular season with a calf injury but has reportedly begun a return-to-play progression and has been cleared for full basketball contact.
Reports have now resurfaced regarding the Knicks’ interest in dealing for Bogdanovic.
In Sep. 2022, a Phoenix-area reporter listed the Knicks alongside the Suns, Mavericks and Lakers as parties interested in a Bogdanovic trade. In February, The Athletic’s local Detroit Pistons reporter listed the Knicks, Bucks and Lakers as teams with “serious interest” in acquiring the 31-year-old forward. And on Thanksgiving week, the Knicks were again mentioned as a team logging interest in acquiring Bogdanovic’s services.
The Pistons can either keep Bogdanovic on the roster for his veteran presence on a roster stacked with young talent, or they can trade him to a playoff team for a situation that better fits his circumstances and recoup draft assets in a deal for the European forward.
The Knicks have assets, and in a toughened Eastern Conference, they could use the help.
The Knicks own a share of the sixth seed in the East — behind Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Miami, and Orlando; tied with Indiana; and ahead of Cleveland, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Toronto and Chicago. Seeds Nos. 7-10 must compete in the Play-In Tournament to decide the final two playoff spots. The Knicks had the NBA’s toughest opening slate of games and were picked by general managers to finish fifth or better. They entered Thanksgiving with an 8-6 record, having beaten most bad teams but falling to the championship contenders.
The Knicks can improve by trading Evan Fournier, who is out of the rotation, and his near $19 million expiring contract.
Bogdanovic would be an upgrade, but a swap for Fournier outright won’t work, which is why the Knicks would have to sweeten the deal with a draft pick, though their war chest of picks has depreciated in real time.
The Knicks currently project to have two first-round picks in 2024 (their own and the Mavericks’ top-10 protected pick), two first-round picks in 2025 (their own and the Bucks’ top-four protected pick), and their own first-round pick every season after through 2031.
The Knicks own two protected first-round picks in 2024 — Detroit’s (top-18) and the Washington Wizards (top-12) — but with both teams off to abominable starts, neither of those picks are likely to convey to New York.
Of the picks both owned by and likely to convey to the Knicks, six are eligible for trade, and four are historically required to trade for a bona fide superstar should one become available.
The price for the Phoenix Suns to acquire Kevin Durant from the Nets was four first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and foundational players in Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
It cost the Minnesota Timberwolves the same number of first-round picks — four — to acquire Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz, and it took three first-round picks for the Atlanta Hawks to acquire Dejounte Murray.
The Knicks are long rumored and reported to be prioritizing superstars who become available for trade — like Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
There is no guarantee, however, those players become available before the Knicks are forced to decide between using two of their draft picks or dealing them next summer.
The Knicks no longer project to have eight tradable first-round picks, but with six, they can create two separate but equally compelling offers built around three draft picks, one of which can include Fournier’s contract if done before the Feb. 8 NBA Trade Deadline.
Or they can keep four for a star and move one of the other two eligible picks in a deal for a player like Bogdanovic, who gives Thibodeau another 40 percent three-point shooter, ball handler and playmaker shooter for his drive-kick-swing offense.
Teams are expected to become more active on the trade market when most newly-signed contracts become eligible to move on Dec. 15.
