Getty Alec Burks defended by Daniel Gafford.
The New York Knicks have moves to make ahead of the deadline. They’ve played some of the best basketball in the league throughout their past 10 games, winning 8 of them and 5 straight. With OG Anunoby, the Knicks have been one of the top defensive teams, allowing just 99.8 points per game in January, according to Tommy Beer. Despite the recent play, there are always ways to improve. The Knicks will look to do just that and one name to watch out for is Alec Burks, according to Ian Begley of SNY.
Begley proposed the package that the Knicks would have to move for them to land Burks. There are multiple ways for the Knicks to land Burks, especially if a third team is involved.
“Burks makes $10.4 million this season. The Knicks would need to send out $5.4 million to complete a trade. That’s difficult to do with their minimum-salary players. The Knicks also don’t have a trade exception large enough to absorb Burks’ salary. They could get a third team involved. But that gets complicated. One of the most straightforward paths to obtain Burks is to send out Evan Fournier and draft compensation.”
Begley went on and added what the Pistons would need to move. He notes some interesting scenarios for the Knicks to get a deal done.
“To make the salaries match, Detroit would need to add an additional player. The Pistons could execute the trade by including former Knick Kevin Knox II. But Knox can’t be traded until Feb. 8 – the day of the trade deadline. So the Knicks and Pistons would have to execute the trade on deadline day by 3 p.m.”
Tom Thibodeau Was a Fan of Alec Burks
Tom Thibodeau plays his favorites, and unless you’re someone who’s going to play the way he wants you to, you won’t find the court. He’s an old-minded defensive type of coach who expects his players to play hard every second of the game. That’s why Burks was a favorite of Thibodeau.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype spoke about the Knicks’ head coach’s relationship with Buks.
“The Knicks are doing their due diligence and looking at various players across the league,” Scotto says. “(That includes) Hornets guard Terry Rozier, Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon, former Tom Thibodeau favorite Alec Burks, sources said. In addition, the Knicks are surveying the trade market for a backup power forward, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Burks Gives the Knicks a Bench Scorer
Alec Burks allows the New York Knicks to have some flexibility in their lineups. If they want a shooter on the floor, he can run with any group. The 32-year-old is constantly one of the best shooters in basketball and this season isn’t any different.
New York also needs a bench scorer after trading Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors for Anunoby. Burks can come in and provide the Knicks with some of that missed scoring.
He’s shooting 39.1% from the field and 40.2% from three-point range this season. The sharpshooter is averaging 12.7 points per game and playing 20.5 minutes per game.