Much like Dejounte Murray, Malcolm Brogdon could be an addition the New York Knicks decide to pursue ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
Despite winning the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year award and the 2022-23 Sixth Man of the Year award, Brogdon has never received the acclaim he deserves. At 6’4”, he’s a pretty big lead guard, an excellent three-point shooter and a willing passer who averaged a career-high 7.1 assists per game in 2019-20 with the Indiana Pacers.
Why hasn’t Malcolm Brogdon stuck?
Despite his talent, Malcolm Brogdon has weirdly bounced around. The Milwaukee Bucks selected him in the second round in 2016, but he was involved in a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2019, mostly because they felt the offer sheet he signed with Indiana was simply too much to enable them to continue building a contender.
In 2022, the Pacers decided to swap Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was clearly the team’s point guard of the future. Not surprisingly, Brogdon was traded to the Boston Celtics a few months later.
Brogdon excelled in the role of sixth-man role in Boston, which certainly bolstered the Celtics' bench. But his tenure in Boston wasn’t long-lived, as he was traded to Portland as part of a larger deal for Jrue Holiday.
Ultimately, Brogdon is a good player who has had the misfortune of playing for teams that were able to upgrade the lead guard position — at his expense. Injuries have also played a factor, as he has never played more than the 75 games he did in his rookie season. In fact, that's the only season in which he hit the 70-game mark.
What has Brogdon done in his career?
But don’t be fooled by the various trades in which he has been involved. Brogdon is still more than capable of playing starting-caliber basketball. That’s not even the role he’d be asked to play on the Knicks.
So, what does Brogdon bring to the table? He’s a career 39% three-point shooter. He’s a capable floor general who has averaged 5.7 assists per 36 minutes throughout his entire eight-year career. And he’s an above-average defender.
What has Brogdon done recently?
But let’s have a look at his recent production, as any talent evaluator would be wise to review up-to-date stats on a 31-year-old with an injury history (he has played 27 of 34 games this season). In the past five games, Brogdon is averaging 18.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game. Not bad for an old man who hasn’t stuck with any team for too long, right?
And let’s remember, Portland is clearly in a rebuild. So, wins aren’t necessarily valued. They are 5-6 when Brogdon plays 30+ minutes, and they’re 4-11 when he plays under 30. He obviously impacts winning, even with a team full of youngsters.
Can Brogdon come on board and liven up the Knicks’ second unit? He certainly can. He’d actually be a breath of fresh air for a team that could use a consistent lead guard behind Jalen Brunson and more shooting to space the floor. Of course Miles McBride deserves a shot, but there must be someone who can steady the ship when the waters get rough. McBride deserves a look, but he’s inexperienced. Brogdon’s experience is a major reason for the presumable interest in him.
But Brogdon doesn’t have the appeal of a Murray, Donovan Mitchell, etc. His game is comparatively conservative. His impact is less obvious. But he’d cost a whole lot less as far as what New York would have to give up, and his contract expires after next season.
What would New York have to give up?
That’s actually sort of difficult to gauge. As mentioned above, the Blazers are in the early stages of a rebuild and the Knicks don’t have many players who fit that sort of a timeline. So, it would probably be a draft pick or two.
But which one? The Knicks have all of their own first-round picks, as well as the 2024 Dallas Mavericks protected first-rounder, 2024 Washington Wizards protected first-rounder, 2024 Detroit Pistons protected first-rounder, and Milwaukee Bucks 2025 protected first-rounder. The Dallas pick is the most likely to convey this year, which is actually a near certainty.
So, what would it be? Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently suggested a deal could be done for Evan Fournier, the 2024 Washington pick, and a 2024 second-rounder. That seems fair enough to both sides.
The question is, is this the best deal the Knicks can swing? If it cost the Knicks a first-rounder, that would probably be it in terms of in-season additions, as New York is clearly holding picks in hopes of a bigger deal this upcoming summer.
Malcolm Brogdon would definitely improves the Knicks' rotation, but the front office should explore other options before agreeing to a deal. At the end of the day, the Knicks should consider making this deal, assuming it only costs one first-rounder and if there isn’t a better deal to be had. But that “if” dictates everything.
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