Getty Alec Burks dribbles the ball past Kyle Lowry during an April 11 game against the Toronto Raptors.
Free agency won’t kick off until Monday night at 6 PM, but several players and teams are agreeing on deals in the hours ahead, and that includes the New York Knicks.
In his latest reporting for Bleacher Report, insider Jake Fischer says they’re close to terms with Alec Burks:
Alec Burks is also expected to re-sign with the Knicks on a three-year agreement worth roughly $30 million.
New York’s sixth man averaged 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game last season.
The reported deal stirred up quite the commotion on Knicks Twitter, where Burks has a collective of supporters.
Twitter Reacts to Burks’ Three-Year Deal
Alec Burks served the role of New York Knicks’ sixth man this season, and for all intents and purposes, succeeded.
But his new reported deal was interpreted a number of different ways among the team fandom on Twitter.
Some loved it:
Some hated it:
And some were simply indifferent:
But the fact remains that Alec Burks seems bound for a New York Knicks return.
And they’re likely better off for it.
Knicks Need Scoring
New York is hoping to repeat a playoff run in 2021-2022, but in order to do that, will have to improve the offense.
The Knicks finished the 2019-2020 season ranked 26th in points (107) per game, and in the postseason they finished dead last (97.5 PPG) among all 16 playoff teams.
But as much as free agency is about what players your team can acquire, there’s also the added element of not being able to afford players you want to keep.
That’s rarely been as true for New York as it is today, with the team’s newfound chemistry one of the primary catalysts behind their return to the playoffs last season.
This brings us to Alec Burks, who by all accounts, was the third-best scoring option for the Knicks last year.
As they look to compensate for their biggest weakness, letting go of a player who was helping them in that area, seems like a counterproductive method of improving this team.
So props to Leon Rose and company for bringing Alec Burks back into the fold.
But there is a question of what it could mean for some of the New York Knicks’ other free agents.
Bullock On The Way Out?
Alec Burks’ pending return was always a hot topic because of the implications for Reggie Bullock’s free agency.
Going into this offseason, fans were confident that the New York Knicks couldn’t bring them both back next year.
And now, as Marc Berman of the New York Post points out, his role from last season may no longer be available:
Hearing Reggie Bullock has drawn interest for 3-year, mid-level money. But Knicks would be willing to work out sign-and-trade if they can’t hammer out a deal. If Knicks ink Evan Fournier, Bullock would return to Knicks bench.
Evan Fournier is reportedly at the top of the Knicks wishlist, with free agency’s open just hours away.
If he’s signed by New York, and Burks contract is confirmed, then there the fit for Bullock is awkward.
The eight-year veteran is drawing interest from a number of contenders, including the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers.
So whether or not the New York Knicks consciously chose Alec Burks over Reggie Bullock is irrelevant, because it may ultimately shake out that it’s what pushes him out the door into the open market.
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