Facing a worsening injury crisis with a roster teetering on contention, the Knicks added two offensive-minded veterans to bolster their depth while checking most boxes before the second stanza of their playoff push.
Team president Leon Rose acquired Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Pistons on Thursday, swapping out Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks.
It was a necessary move for a few reasons, starting with the avalanche of injuries facing the roster.
The latest was news Thursday of OG Anunoby undergoing surgery on his elbow, a procedure the team is labeling “minor” with the hope he’ll be 100 percent for the playoffs.
Add in Julius Randle’s dislocated shoulder and Jalen Brunson’s sprained ankle, and the Knicks require bodies.
They got two of them from the Pistons, both with scoring prowess.
Burks is averaging 12.6 points this season on 39.4 percent shooting, adept at creating for himself as demonstrated during his previous stint with the Knicks.
Bogdanovic is averaging 20.2 points on 47 percent shooting.
“Those guys have added a lot to our team,” Tom Thibodeau said before Thursday’s game against the Mavericks. “Then if you look at how all it fits together, we added a lot of shooting, which is much needed.”
Of the four departing players, only Grimes, who was frustrated and eager for a different opportunity, was getting minutes under Thibodeau.
Fournier had been glued to the bench since last season. Arcidiacono and Flynn were mostly part of the garbage-time crew.
Burks, who recently played for the Knicks and remains a favorite of Thibodeau, is a combo guard and can fill in backup point guard duties, essentially replacing Immanuel Quickley.
Bogdanovic is a 6-foot-7 forward who was an important part of a winning run in Utah before being traded to the miserable Pistons.
A longtime coach told The Post on Thursday that Bogdanovic remains a very strong scorer — which the Knicks need — but can’t defend at this point in his career.
He can help fill in for Anunoby and Randle, who both are out indefinitely with optimism they’ll be ready by the end of the season.
“[Bogdanovic’s] ability to play power forward, it gives us a stretch-4 who can really shoot,” Thibodeau said. “Alec, his ability to handle the ball, play the point, play off the ball, play with the starters, play with the bench, sort of a Swiss Army knife. He does a little bit of everything. But the shooting piece was so important. I just think the more we can open up the floor, particularly as you go forward, that’s a key ingredient. Now, teams have to make a decision how much your going to load up [on Brunson].”
Still, the defensive concerns will be exacerbated without Anunoby, a veteran coach told The Post. Trading Grimes will also hurt that end of the court.
They’re going to have to outscore teams, a strategy that didn’t work well during a disappointing 2021-22 season.
Thibodeau, meanwhile, pumped up the upgrades in shooting.
“We’re looking forward to Alec and Bojan coming in. Alec, we’re familiar with because he’s been here,” Thibodeau said. “We know what a great fit he is for us. Bojan, we’ve gone against him for quite a bit. It gives us added depth. The shooting piece is really important for us. They complement our players extremely well. We’re looking forward to them joining our team.”
Bogdanovic,…
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