Josh Hart was the Knicks’ major trade-deadline addition one year ago, and Donte DiVincenzo was their key free-agent acquisition over the summer.
After joining forces with their former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson, those two players have emerged as key cogs in the Knicks’ transformation this season.
And they fully endorsed the latest impactful move team president Leon Rose pulled off ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline to bring in veteran scorers Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks in a deal that sent Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two second-round picks to the Pistons.
“For sure. Obviously, I hate to see my guy Archie go. Obviously, you hate to see anybody go. Obviously, that’s our guy. But nah, I think that was a really good trade in terms of what we needed,” Hart said, referring to Arcidiacono, another Villanova alum. “Adding AB, a good scorer and playmaker off the bench, and then Bojan, someone who can knock down shots, a shot-maker who can get guys involved, it was definitely what we needed.
“I think Leon and the front office was cooking.”
Rose, of course, also had brought in Hart last February in a trade with the Trail Blazers, and then re-signed Hart to a four-year contract extension worth $81 million over the summer.
Hart posted his second triple-double in his past five games with 23 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists with Brunson (ankle) among those sidelined in Monday’s shorthanded loss to the Mavericks at the Garden.
DiVincenzo’s four-year, $50 million deal via free agency also is looking like a strong value signing. He is averaging 29.2 points with 5.8 made 3-pointers over his past six games, including 36 on Thursday night.
Over a longer stretch, DiVincenzo has scored 19.1 points per game over his last 21 appearances since the day of the OG Anunoby trade — another transformative move — Dec. 30.
Still, the additions of Burks and Bogdanovic, who combined to post 32.6 points per game this season for the league-worst Pistons, should provide experience and more offensive options for Tom Thibodeau’s banged-up team, which has gone 16-4 since the start of 2024.
The two newcomers are expected to be available Saturday night against the Pacers at MSG, providing reinforcements for a shorthanded rotation that played without its three leading scorers — Brunson, Julius Randle (shoulder) and Anunoby (elbow) — against the Mavericks.
“Proven scorers, proven vets and proven shooters,” DiVincenzo said. “Very versatile, I think, can space the floor. You can switch a lot of pick and rolls. I think it will help us with our depth.
“What gives us a unique lineup this year, once we get them, is any given night really you might have some guys play 30 [minutes], you might have some play 16, 17, if somebody has it going. I think we have an understanding going forward, a lot of vets and winning is the most important thing. If everybody believes that, it doesn’t matter.”
Hart also noted that Burks “knows what to expect” after previously playing two seasons for Thibodeau and the Knicks, enabling him to seamlessly re-acclimate to the team.
Additionally, Burks and Bogdanovic are shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range this season — as are Brunson, DiVincenzo and Miles McBride.
And the presently injured Anunoby is barely below that mark at 39.1 percent in 14 appearances with the Knicks.
“It’s gonna open up the spacing a lot,” Hart said of Thursday’s trade. “Whether that’s for Jalen, OG trying to get to the basket or if they blitz him, then you have me or Isaiah [Hartenstein] or somebody in that short pocket being able to just facilitate.
“So it’ll help open the court up tremendously.”