Wizards Forward Traded to Knicks in Mock Deal
The New York Knicks are slated to pick back-to-back at Nos. 24 & 25 in the 2024 NBA Draft, which begins tonight (8 p.m. ET, ABC) with the first round.
However, there's always potential for the picks to be traded, especially with the Knicks having another selection at No. 38 in tomorrow's second round.
Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes suggested a deal in which the No. 24 pick, two 2025 first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanovic were traded to the Washington Wizards for Deni Avdija.
"Deni Avdija should be on every competitive team's list of targets, so the Knicks might have to dig deeper into their cache of draft assets to land him. If it takes throwing in the top-13-protected 2025 first-rounder coming from the Pistons, they should strongly consider it," Hughes writes. "Avdija is an up-and-coming two-way threat on the wing. He's capable of defending multiple positions, distributing and, as of last season, hitting threes. His 37.4 percent knockdown clip from beyond the arc raised his ceiling considerably."
In a perfect world, Avdija would either start at the 2-guard spot next to Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby or be the first or second man off the bench next to Josh Hart to form one of the league's most thrilling second units.
Avdija also serves as insurance in case Anunoby re-signs elsewhere in free agency. Anunoby officially became an unrestricted free agent on Monday when he declined his player option. While it was an expected move, Anunoby is reportedly expected to look beyond the Knicks when it comes to where he wants to sign his next contract.
Avdija was arguably the best player on a Wizards team that won just 15 games this past season, and while Washington would like to keep him, the team could look to completely reset and tank ahead of a 2025 NBA Draft class that is expected to have Duke forward Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall. Subtracting Avdija to add Flagg could be worth it in the long run for the Wizards.
No matter his role, Avdija would be a plus for the Knicks, and while it's unlikely for the Wizards to move on from him, it would be worth a phone call.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.