The Detroit Pistons' already crowded trade deadline was taken to a new level Thursday morning before the final call at 3 p.m.
In their fourth trade in the last 24 hours, the Pistons sent Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the New York Knicks in exchange for Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks.
The Pistons moved on from two veterans in Burks and Bogdanovic who were solid players in the rotation while selecting Grimes, a capable two-way winger, three players who were on the fringes of the Knicks' rotation and two future late-round picks.
Trade break: The Detroit Pistons are sending Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the Knicks for four players and two draft picks
Burks and Bogdanovic both arrived in Detroit during the 2022 season and have been two of the Pistons' most consistent shooters over a season and a half. Burks is averaging 12.2 points and making 39.2% of his 3-pointers. He's on an expiring contract worth $10.5 million, an attractive trade target. Bogdanovic is averaging 20.2 points per game and hitting 41.5% of his 3-pointers this season and has one year left on his contract at $19 million, but only a small portion of that is guaranteed. He was the Pistons' leading scorer in the 2022-23 season, averaging 21.6 points per game.
The deal was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, so far during the NBA trade deadline hysteria.
However, both Pistons fans and the NBA world, in general, were puzzled by the Pistons' seemingly trivial return of two key rotation players who are good shooters from deep and could slot into New York's playoff rotation.
Also expect another trade because the Pistons are over the 15-player roster limit.
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