NBA Trade Rumors: Detroit Pistons' Alec Burks to Orlando Magic?
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is currently 16-8, a game back of the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Part of the reason that the Magic has been so good this season has been their stout defense which ranks fifth in the NBA in opponent points per game at 109.7. However, the team does lack offensive production from the guard position, something The Athletic thinks could be fixed by trading for Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons.
"Teams looking for an influx of floor spacing and offensive creation off the bench could do far worse than him, though it’d help to have lineups capable of working around his defensive limitations," Sam Vecenie of The Athletic writes.
In his two seasons with Detroit, Burks averaged 12.0 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent shooting from deep. He is averaging close to five three point attempts per game over that span as well.
Alec Burks is averaging 9.9 points per game this season for the Detroit Pistons.
Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
"Taylor Snarr’s Estimated Plus-Minus model has rated Burks as about a 10-win player over the two seasons prior to 2023-24, which is in line with a starting-quality guard," Vecenie writes. "I don’t feel quite that strongly about his game, but he’s a reasonable offensive bet as a rental who is unlikely to cost a first-round pick."
The Pistons are currently on a 22-game losing streak and have an overall record of 2-23, the worst in the NBA. If there is any team that is going to be selling off players for draft picks early in the season, it's going to be them.
The Magic is back in action Sunday against the Boston Celtics. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
