What will The Knicks do with Bullock, Burks, and Rose in the offseason?
By Adam Kester
Does Alec Burks have a future with The Knicks?
Alec Burks has really established himself in the NBA in the 2nd half of his career. After playing solid minutes for The Utah Jazz early in his career, Burks playing time diminished. He then bounced around with a few lesser teams, until he started to find a groove again with both The Warriors and The 76ers in 2019-20. He’s been even better with The Knicks.
Alec Burks has been a valuable bench scorer for The Knicks all season long. His size (6’6) and skillset have seen him been used at the 2, small forward, and even as a point guard at times. He’s one of the few Knicks who can create their own shot off of the dribble.
Burks signed just a 1-year 6 million dollar deal with The Knicks last offseason and he’s been worth every penny. Burks has posted fantastic shooting numbers (42.4% FG, 41.8% from 3, 85.4% FT) and has been a big part of the success for The Knicks’ 2nd unit.
Burks is an important piece for the bench. The positional versatility (Even if he’s very limited at point guard) has been a big part of the Knicks staying afloat with all of their backcourt injuries. When he’s with the starters, Burks can space the floor for Randle and Barrett.
So what will Burks demand on the market? Let’s once again look at some contracts given out to similar players in last year’s offseason:
- Rodney Hood (28 years old) 2 years 21 million
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (27 years old) 3 years, 40 million
- Jordan Clarkson (28 years old) 4 years, 52 million
- DJ Augustin (32 years old) 3 years, 21 million
These are all esentially the microwave secondary scorers who are similar to Burks in age. Do I expect Burks to deman Clarkson money? No. Caldwell-Pope money? Very possible.
The 29-year old Burks is certainly worthy of a multi-year deal. You might say he’s the least “Thibs guy” of 3 players in this article. This is where the front office steps in and emphasizes Burks’ value as a scorer, solid defender, and his durablity this season. There’s always going to be a team ready to ovepay for a veteran bucket-getter like Burks, so I think The Knicks will shell out a sizeable deal.