Could Knicks Trade For Alec Burks (Again)?
![Mar 29, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Alec Burks (18) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mike Stobe/POOL PHOTOS-Imagn Images Mar 29, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Alec Burks (18) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mike Stobe/POOL PHOTOS-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3482,h_1958,x_342,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_knicks/01jj26t6hv5dqsxv4ae9.jpg)
Well, the New York Knicks could trade for Alec Burks yet again.
So proposes Knicks insider James Edwards III, who invoked Burks' name in a list of proposed New York trades for The Athletic. Burks was previously part of the Knicks' last prized trade deadline haul, coming over from the Detroit Pistons with Bojan Bogdanovic in exchange for a package headlined by Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes.
Edwards reasons that Burks, having since signed with the Miami Heat, could give the Knicks some sought-after backcourt depth, which has been lacking since the team sacrificed sixth man extraordinaire Immanuel Quickley in the OG Anunoby deal with the Toronto Raptors.
"In this scenario, Burks comes back to New York to try to provide more shot creation/guard depth," Edwards says. "This isn’t a needle-moving trade by any means, but it changes the structure of the Knicks roster and brings back someone who is familiar with the organization."
Little more needs to be said about the Knicks' lack of bench scoring: beyond Miles McBride, no primary reserve is averaging more than 7.5 points per game and things appear to be shrinking: Landry Shamet, dealing with injuries and inconsistency, has been benched despite his health in each of the last two games. Even McBride, the Knicks' de facto sixth man after last year's breakout, has struggled to maintain the paces set from the year before, shooting less than 30 percent from three-point range over the last three games.
Burks, 33, has had two stints with the Knicks, playing the first two years of the 2020s with the team before returning at least year's deadline. He struggled to live up to the reserve expectations placed upon him after returning (6.5 points on less than 31 percent shooting) but, as one of the original depth stars of the Tom Thibodeau era, he could provide at least something of a splash to a dry Knicks bench.
In such a deal, Edwards proposed that the Knicks send over Jericho Sims and a future second-round pick. Sims has reportedly been on the Knicks' trade block but intel from Steve Popper of Newsday hinted that the team is waiting to see if and when Mitchell Robinson will return from injury before making any decisions on his future. Edwards argues that Robinson's potential return, as well as the presumed retainment of Precious Achiuwa and Ariel Hukporti, would be Sims redundant.
"Sims has been in and out of Thibodeau’s rotation (mostly out) and isn’t necessarily needed with Achiuwa, Hukporti and Robinson in the building. Burks and Sims have identical salaries," Edwards says. "I’m not sure that (Miami) would [trade], but Burks has only played in a little over 20 games for Miami. The veteran has had good moments on offense when given the opportunity. He can still shoot the ball."
The Knicks and Heat are set to face off again on March 2 in South Beach. In the meantime, New York faces the Atlanta Hawks in a holiday matinee on Monday (3 p.m. ET, MSG).