With a 12-13 record, the New York Knicks are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, which would give them a spot in the play-in tournament if the regular season ended at the time of this writing.
However, they’re bound for their second straight season of disappointment after claiming the fourth seed in the 2020-21 campaign, and long-suffering Knicks fans won’t be placated with another first-round playoff exit.
There is one player who is rumored to be on the trade block who could help New York move up a notch.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Bojan Bogdanovic was traded by the Utah Jazz to the Detroit Pistons over the summer as part of a massive fire sale run by team executive Danny Ainge.
But now, it is rumored that the Pistons are willing to move on from Bogdanovic.
He would be a nice fit on a Knicks team that is starving for outside shooting and productive play at the forward position alongside Julius Randle.
Evan Fournier, whom the Knicks acquired prior to last season, simply hasn’t cut it at the 3, and Cam Reddish hasn’t panned out yet.
Bogdanovic is tearing it up this season despite playing on arguably the worst basketball team in the world, and he could help the Knicks improve on their 28th rank in 3-point shooting percentage.
Bojan Bogdanovic put on an absolute shooting clinic against the Heat last night.
He scored 28 of his 31 points in the 2nd half, leading Detroit to a 20-point road victory in Miami.
Bogi's ability to shoot off the bounce is simply absurd—BUCKET 🔥📈 pic.twitter.com/S3OrR1LkUL
— Jack Kelly (@jack_kelly_313) December 7, 2022
He could, at least conceivably, open things up for Randle in the paint while also creating better penetration opportunities for guard Jalen Brunson.
At age 33, Bogdanovic may not be a long-term solution, but he could at least help get New York back to the postseason right now.
NEXT: Knicks Star Is Gaining Interest From Multiple Teams