Warriors Alum, $30 Million Wing Floated as Potential Trade Target

Getty Alec Burks and Donovan Mitchell battle for control of the ball during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz.

Fans were understandably miffed at how the Golden State Warriors‘ Wednesday loss to the Utah Jazz was officiated. Meanwhile, head coach Steve Kerr seemed to be at least as upset over his team’s inability to close out as he was with the game’s officiating.

Whatever the factors were in that and other setbacks this season, though, the Dubs have reached the point where they need to move past them and start piling up wins. Or, as Draymond Green put it on Friday — per KRON4’s Jason Dumas — it’s time for them to be “locking in.”

However, even if Golden State does start playing a consistently better brand of basketball, there’s a real chance that it won’t be good enough to get the club back to the promised land. As good as everyone thought the roster was coming into the 2022-23 campaign, some additional assembly may be required.

Should the Dubs decide to explore the trade market in search of another win-now piece or two, Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley believes they should weigh the merits of bringing an old fave back to the Bay.

B/R Pitches Reunion Between Alec Burks & the Warriors

With precisely two months remaining until the NBA’s deadline for deal-making hits, Buckley put together a list of potential trade targets for the up-and-down Warriors. And while two of the names — Jakob Poeltl and Myles Turner — have been linked to the team in the past, one of them was new. Well, kinda…

The third name on the list was none other than former Warrior Alec Burks. Wrote Buckley:

The Warriors could use more ball-movers on their bench. Shooters, too. Oh, and perimeter defenders.

Why not scratch all three itches with Alec Burks?

The veteran swingman doesn’t offer a ton of utility to the rebuilding team in Detroit, but in Golden State, his skills and savvy would be perfect. He is smart enough to execute his role and skilled enough to step outside of it when the right opportunity arises.

Burks is currently 14 appearances into his first year with the Pistons after getting dealt to the Motor City over the summer by the New York Knicks. He’s been efficient in his new digs, too, averaging 14.2 points in only 20.6 minutes per night and connecting on 38.6% of his triples.

The 31-year-old is in year two of a three-year, $30 million contract.

Burks Was Scapegoated in NYC Last Season

When the Kemba Walker experiment failed and Derrick Rose got injured, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was essentially forced to start Burks at the point guard position in 2021-22, which didn’t sit particularly well with fans. They can’t really be blamed for feeling a type of way about the decision, either, as Burks averaged just 3.0 APG while shooting under 40% from the field during his final go-round in the Big Apple.

It wasn’t so much Burks, though, as it was the simple fact that he was starting ahead of Immanuel Quickley and Deuce McBride that really drew fans’ ire. And, in Thibs’ defense, the Knicks were 5.8 points per 100 possessions better when Burks was on the floor. Sure, Quickley’s net swing was an impressive 13.1, but Burks was hardly dogging it on the court.

In any event, Dub Nation knows full well what Burks brings to the table as a scorer, occasional deep threat and on-ball defender. During his abbreviated run with the Warriors in 2019-20, the veteran guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 boards, 3.1 dimes and a steal per outing while shooting 37.5% from deep.