Alec Burks Warmed up Twice Before Learning He was Traded

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported today that the Cleveland Cavaliers had traded their seasoned sharpshooter Kyle Korver for Jazz guard Alec Burks and two future second-round picks.

The move should be a good one for Utah–Korver is dynamite from behind the three-point line and is currently shooting over 45%. Utah as a team is currently shooting in the low-30s, in spite of efforts from long-range shooters like Joe Ingles and Jae Crowder.

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Burks was not Informed of the Trade Until After His Warmup

The trade came as a shock to some, though, including Burks, who had already warmed up for what he thought would be a normal game against the Nets.

Rookie Jazz guard Grayson Allen was shocked by his first experience with a sudden trade like this. According to Jazz reporter Eric Woodyard, Burks broke the news to Allen just before tipoff. The rookie seemed to accept it, though. “I think everybody was a little bit surprised. It’s just the timing of it but that’s how it goes,” was the response Woodyard relayed from Allen.

In spite of whatever shock the trade may have been, Woodyard also reported that Burks is happy with the move:

“A Deseret News source confirmed that Alec Burks is happy to be in a place with more consistent minutes for him. Burks is in good spirits and ready to turn the page because the rotation wasn’t working in his favor with 15.8 minutes per game. He is currently headed to Cleveland.”

More minutes will be good for Burks. He’s worked great as a spark plug off the bench for the Jazz, but it makes sense that he’d like more usage than those meager 15 minutes per game.

So far this season with the Jazz he had been averaging 8.4 points per game in those minutes, along with 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

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