New Rockets Guard Trey Burke Exercises Player 2022-23 Player Option

Burke was acquired in the Christian Wood trade.

Another major step towards completing the trade for Christian Wood moved forward Saturday after guard Trey Burke exercised his $3.3 million player option, per Spotrac.

Burke was named in a proposed trade as part of a package to head to the Houston Rockets from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Wood.

Along with Burke, Marquese Chriss, Sterling Brown, Boban Marjanovic and the No. 26 pick in Thursday's draft will be sent to Houston.

However, due to the Stepien rule which disallows teams to trade their own pick in multiple years, the deal won't be confirmed until after the draft.

The prime jewel in the trade for the Rockets is the No. 26 pick, which the Mavs will select on Houston's behalf during the draft. Burke, a nine-year veteran, was traded to match the salaries between the quartet and Wood.

By opting into the final year of his deal, Burke will enter unrestricted free agency in 2023 and the Rockets are set to pay him for this upcoming season.

However, given the Rockets' crowded backcourt and need to play younger guards off the bench like Josh Christopher and Daishen Nix, there's a decent chance that Burke's final destination isn't Houston.

The Rockets can now use his affordable salary and look to trade him to a team in need of a veteran backup guard. The team could also give him some money to buyout his contract and allow him to hit the open market a year early.

Regardless of Burke's future, his opt-in all but solidifies that the trade will go as planned.