On Thursday evening, the New York Knicks sent shockwaves through the NBA landscape when it was announced that they would be acquiring sharpshooters Bojan Bogdanovic and (former Knick) Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons at the NBA trade deadline. The Knicks have been rolling as of late, led by some All-Star level play from point guard Jalen Brunson, but that evidence didn’t stop the team’s brass from pouring in all of their chips at the trade deadline this year.
One person who loved what he saw from the Knicks on Thursday was none other than former legendary Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson, who took to X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter, to express his excitement about the future of the franchise.
“With the Knicks acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic (averaging 20.2 points per game and 41.5% from 3-point range) and Alec Burks (averaging 12.7 points per game and 40.1% from 3-point range), I think they have a real shot of playing not just in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the NBA Finals!” wrote Johnson.
While a Knicks NBA Finals appearance might admittedly be a hard sell for some even after Thursday’s acquisitions, the team still objectively got a good bit better with the Pistons trade, especially considering that perimeter shooting was the team’s Achilles heel in their playoff loss to the Miami Heat in last year’s postseason, as well as against the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.
The Knicks’ chances would also be improved by Julius Randle exorcising the playoff demons he has accumulated over the years.
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