NBA trade grades: Knicks land Bojan Bogdanovic and more in surprise deal with Pistons

Action has been picking up around the league with several deals going down, but none bigger than this trade between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks, involving three big pieces.

As The Athletic's Shams Charania reports, the Knicks are acquiring two big-time contributors in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks in exchange for Quentin Grimes, other salary fillers, and a pair of second-round picks.

Ryan Arcidiacono is also involved in the deal, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Knicks continue their push to make a deep playoff run in 2023 while the Pistons sell off a pair of expiring contracts and acquire one big piece for the future.

NBA Trade Grades: Who won the Bojan Bogdanovic trade?

New York Knicks trade grade: A

The Knicks continue to add win-now pieces while maintaining flexibility for down the road. They acquire two big contributors in Bogdanovic and Burks while only giving up Grimes, players who don't ever see the floor, and a pair of second-round picks. Slam dunk.

Bogdanovic is easily the biggest piece of the deal, giving New York a veteran to come off their bench and shoot the lights out. The 34-year-old missed significant time early this season due to injury but in the 28 games he's appeared in, he's averaged 20.2 points per game on 46.8/41.5/77.9 splits. Bogdanovic is a career 39.5% shooter from three-point range, giving the Knicks another elite shooter to surround All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. Bogdanovic being under contract for next season as well makes the deal just that much better.

Burks is a player all Knicks fans are familiar with, spending two seasons with Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks and thriving off of their bench. He's yet another elite shooter, hitting 3s at a 40.1 percent clip this season and a 38.6 percent clip in his career. In addition to his valuable shooting, Burks is a solid defender and can even handle the ball if they need him to.

Trading away Grimes hurts, but this Knicks team is trying to win now and acquired two players who are more suited to help them accomplish that. The Knicks were able to get these two players without giving up a single first-round pick, keeping that important flexibility in-tact for New York to get the superstar they covet.

Detroit Pistons trade grade: B-

Sitting at 7-43 on deadline day, it was abundantly clear that this Pistons team was going to sell to an extent. These two veterans in Bogdanovic and Burks were clearly not in their long-term plans, so trading them now makes all the sense in the world. However, it feels like Detroit should've gotten more.

Grimes is a terrific defender who has shot the 3-ball well in his young career, shooting at a 37.9 percent clip from behind the arc. At just 23 years old he should be a key part of Detroit's future alongside other youngsters like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, and Ausar Thompson. Grimes is a much-needed floor spacer surrounding those four players who are not elite shooters by any means.

Grimes being the return for just Burks would've been a slam dunk. Grimes being the return for just Bogdanovic even would've been good enough. Grimes being the return for both of them feels light. Bogdanovic and Burks are both outstanding rotation players any contender would want, and Bogdanovic even comes with a second year of club control.

Getting Grimes, a player they have to pay in just two years and not a single first-round pick feels like a miss. The Knicks are swimming with first-round draft capital including four different picks from this season alone. Sure, it's a weaker draft, but the Pistons failing to land a single one of those firsts as a complimentary piece with Grimes is a miss.