Getty Alec Burks, Boston Celtics
Free agency might not officially begin until June 30, but it seems as though the Boston Celtics have a plan, and are going to be judicial in how they spend their money this summer.
According to a report by Masslive’s Brian Robb, the Celtics recently rejected the opportunity to add Alec Burks via trade, which would have seen the veteran be absorbed into the Celtics trade exception.
New: The #Celtics turned down an Alec Burks deal into their TPE from the Knicks before his trade to the Pistons per league sources. A closer look at why and what comes next for Boston with free agency looming:
“The Knicks were motivated to make a move now before free agency since they need cap room to make a substantial offer to free agent, Jalen Brunson. The Celtics obviously weren’t willing to close the door on other potential options by taking in Burks, which would have used a huge chunk ($10 million) of their biggest TPE. I’m told there would have been some marginal sweetener involved as well by the Knicks (likely a second-round pick) but that’s certainly not enough to push the needle for Boston,” Robb wrote in his June 29 article.
Burks was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons on June 28, allowing the New York Knicks to create the cap space they were looking for, and ensuring the Celtics kept their full $17.2 million Evan Fournier trade exception heading into the opening weeks of the off-season.
Burks Injury and Defense Could Have Been Factors
After the Knicks’ disappointing season concluded, Burks elected to have surgery due to an issue with his foot, which cast doubt over his availability to begin next season. While that surgery was unlikely to of been a big deterrent for Boston, it likely played a small part in their decision not to accept New York’s trade proposal.
However, Burks’ limited defensive ability was probably more of a sticking point. Over the last 12 months, Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka have worked together to produce an exceptionally gifted defensive team – one that ranked first in defensive rating for the 2021-22 NBA regular season.
Alec Burks making a serious case to start. Not just all the 3s. He’s got 15 points in the third quarter. But there’s the defense, too. It’s not just better but it’s also way more versatile with him out there. Knicks can play various types of coverages with Burks at PG.
According to Basketball Index, Burks is a reliable perimeter defender, but struggles with screen navigation and quickly becomes ineffective once the ball hits the interior. Boston like their players to be versatile defenders, capable of guarding multiple positions (which Burks can) and able to hold their own against mismatches (which Burks cannot).
As such, it seems that Stevens likely believes there are better options available with the Fournier TPE and he will continue to explore those avenues, rather than bite on the first enticing offer that passes his desk.
Burks Didn’t Fill a Need
Sure, when the Knicks were short on point guard play, Burks admirably stepped in to fill the void, but in reality, he’s a shooting guard. Entering the off-season, the general consensus was that Boston needed another wing, preferably a small forward or power forward, that could handle the rock, and score at a consistent clip.
Thank you Alec Burks for a great stint with the Knicks!
Beyond adding a forward, finding some additional playmaking, and pinpointing a genuine Robert Williams back-up were both high on the agenda too. So, while Burks is a reliable scorer and has shown some playmaking ability, he does not fill a positional need, nor add the required size to Boston’s rotation.
With the Evan Fournier TPE due to expire on July 18, the Celtics still have plenty of time to find a player they deem to be a good fit and begin to negotiate a deal. Although, with every passing day, that window is closing.