Getty Alec Burks tangled up with De'Andre Hunter.
The New York Knicks are showing interest in a former player. Alec Burks, who played for the Knicks for two seasons, could return to Madison Square Garden. The 32-year-old guard is one of the best three-point shooters in basketball and could help the Knicks off the bench.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the Knicks’ interest in players on the trade block. He had the following to say about the Knicks options heading into the deadline:
“Scoring help off this Knicks bench. They made their big trade with OG Anunoby. It has paid off for the Knicks. They want to keep themselves in a position to do another big one for an All-Star, All-NBA level player, that very likely will be in this offseason. That players not available now. But, certainly players like Bruce Brown in Toronto now, Alec Burks, Jordan Clarkson in Utah. The Knicks have the assets, they have the expiring contract in Evan Fournier to be able to do a trade in the short term for some bench help going into the postseason without compromising themselves on going big game hunting in the offseason.”
.@wojespn on the Knicks’ plans heading into the trade deadline:
– Targeting scoring help off their bench with Jordan Clarkson, Bruce Brown and Alec Burks as their top targets.
– New York is dangling Evan Fournier’s expiring contract alongside a draft pick to get a rotation…
The Knicks Have Interest in Multiple Players
Alec Burks isn’t the only player that the Knicks have shown interest in throughout the past few weeks. In fact, most big names on the market have been linked to the Knicks.
While they won’t land all of them, there’s a possibility that they’ll make more than one move. Given all of the draft assets that they have and players whom they could decide to move on from, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them add more than just Burks or another player during the deadline.
This is arguably the best team that the Knicks have had in quite some time, so going all out is well warranted.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the team’s interest in Burks and other guards.
“The Knicks are doing their due diligence and looking at various players across the league, including Hornets guard Terry Rozier, Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon, former Tom Thibodeau favorite Alec Burks, sources said.”
How Alec Burks Helps the Knicks
Alec Burks could be a good fit for this New York Knicks team as they look to strengthen their bench. While he doesn’t give them what they’re missing after trading Immanuel Quickley, he adds a different element.
Burks is a veteran and that’s never a bad thing for a team who has championship aspirations.
Adding a shooter who has shot over 40% from three-point range every season since the 2019-2020 year is going to prove to be valuable for the Knicks.
As of January 22, Burks is shooting exactly 40% from three-point range. What’s even more impressive is that he shoots over 40% on high volume. In each season since 2019-2020, he’s shot at least 4.3 threes per game. This year, he’s shooting a career-high 5.7 per game.
He’d play a similar role with the Knicks as he is with the Detroit Pistons. He’s currently coming off the bench, not starting one game this season. However, he’s playing over 20 minutes per night and averaging 12.6 points per game.