Getty Knicks front office honchos Williams Wesley (left) and Leon Rose (right)
All has been quiet on the trade front when it comes to injured Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, but then, it is still November. And while Detroit is not shopping Bogdanovic yet, there have already been Knicks trade rumors linking New York to the scoring wing.
That came courtesy of Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico, who wrote recently that, “both the Knicks and Heat have been mentioned as potential suitors for Bogdanovic, 34, who averaged a career-high 21.4 points in 59 games last season.”
Bogdanovic is in the first year of a $39 million two-year extension with the Pistons, slated to $20 million this year. His $19 million for next year is only partially guaranteed ($2 million), which makes him a relatively low-risk trade target.
And over at Bleacher Report, they’ve constructed a way for the Knicks to add Bogdanovic without affecting the team’s current rotation, though it would cost a heavily protected first-round pick.
A 3-Player Trade to Boost the Offense
The deal, as put forth by the estimable Zack Buckley goes like this.
Bojan Bogdanović to the New York Knicks for Evan Fournier, Miles McBride and a 2024 first-round pick (via Detroit)
In terms of this year’s players, neither Fournier nor McBride appear to factor much for the Knicks. New York has made half-hearted attempts to move on from Fournier, but there have been no teams willing to take on his contract, and the Knicks have not been willing to move a first-rounder to get someone to do so. Fournier has $18.8 million on his deal this year, and a team option for next summer.
He has played just one game for the Knicks, appearing for 16 minutes, this season.
McBride, though, is still only 23 and has some value around the league. He has been squeezed out by the Knicks’ logjam of guards and is worth a flier for a team like the Pistons. Much would depend on how the Knicks view the pick they’re getting from the Pistons, which would not transfer this year (it’s Top 18 protected) and only maybe would transfer in the next two seasons. Giving it back to Detroit would not be that steep a price.
All in all, it would be one of the few Knicks trade rumors that could provide some of the offensive versatility the team is missing.
“The Knicks need a little more offensive juice, and they’ll always be in the market for more shooting as long as RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are in the frontcourt,” Buckley wrote.
“Bogdanović could immediately improve their spacing and add a touch more size (6’7″, 226 lbs) to their non-Randle lineups.”
Knicks Trade Rumors: A 1st-Round Pick for Bogdanovic?
Whether it would cost a first-round pick to make Bogdanovic Knicks trade rumors come to life is debatable, though. Around the NBA, Bogdanovic’s value is not being helped by his continued absence, and there’s some question about whether the Pistons will trade him at all.
“They had some hope that they could be more competitive out of the gates here this year, they felt like they were ready to take a step with Cade (Cunningham) coming back and (coach) Monty Williams stepping in,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports. “So they did not really want to trade him last year, they wanted him to be a guy who would help them turn the corner, a veteran, then maybe you ship him off in February.
“But he is not playing, he has had the calf (injury). And they’re terrible. They went and picked all these guards in the draft and none of them can shoot—Cade is struggling, (Ausar) Thompson is struggling, (Jaden) Ivey is struggling. They’re still trying with Killian Hayes. So they’re not turning the corner.
“The problem is, trying to give out a guy who is 34 and has been hurt and can’t defend like Bogdanovic is going to be very tough. Who’s going to give you a first-round pick there? I don’t think anyone.”