There are several tasks the New York Knicks would like to check off this summer, such as retaining OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Anunoby has a player option he's expected to decline and Hartenstein will be an unrestricted free agent. They aren't the only two Knicks who will enter free agency, though.
Alec Burks spent the last half of the 2023-24 season with the Knicks after he and Bojan Bogdanovic were traded from the Pistons before the deadline. Unfortunately, Burks' poor play in New York during the regular season resulted in his removal from the playoff rotation. He didn't play in the postseason until the injuries piled up. When his number was called, he delivered.
Two days after the Knicks' season ended in a Game 7 loss to the Pacers, Klutch Sports announced that Burks had signed with the agency. Newsday's Steve Popper first tweeted about the switch in April, but it's now been made official.
Welcome Alec Burks! pic.twitter.com/HA9u6fKues
— Klutch Sports Group (@KlutchSports) May 21, 2024
Knicks guard Alec Burks gearing up for free agency payday
When Klutch is brought up, the first team that comes to mind is the Lakers. The same goes for CAA and the Knicks. Rich Paul represents more than players in Los Angeles, though.
In the past, Burks switching to Klutch would definitely mean he wouldn't be staying in New York. It wasn't until a couple of months ago that Paul and Leon Rose mended their relationship. Paul used to not like to do business with Rose. Chances are that Paul won't have to worry about doing so this summer, as Burks will likely sign with a new team.
He will turn 33 in July, and like Tom Thibodeau said, he still has a lot left to give. With the other contract decisions that New York needs to make, retaining him shouldn't be a priority, mainly because of the collective bargaining agreement that penalizes teams that go above the second tax apron.
Burks should have several suitors, and maybe the Lakers will be one of them. Or, he could return to a team like Golden State, where he spent part of the 2019-20 season. Wherever he ends up (assuming it's not the Knicks), hopefully, he'll thrive (just not against New York).