The Knicks have signed former lottery pick Trey Burke to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. The move increases New York’s roster count to 20 players, the preseason maximum.
Burke, who will turn 25 next month, was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, but has struggled to make an impact during his first four NBA seasons. After three up-and-down seasons in Utah, the former Michigan standout joined the Wizards for the 2016/17 season.
While his shooting numbers in Washington (.455/.443/.759) were the best of his career, Burke was also only playing 12.3 minutes per contest, easily a career low. The Wizards opted not to tender him a qualifying offer at season’s end, which made him an unrestricted free agent. Last month, Burke appeared to have a deal in place with the Thunder, but reportedly backed out of it in search of another opportunity.
The Knicks currently have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, and Burke won’t have much time to make an impression on the franchise before the regular season begins, so it’s not clear if he’ll have an opportunity to earn a regular season roster spot.
Ian Begley of ESPN.com suggests (via Twitter) that Burke may battle Jarrett Jack for a spot on the 15-man squad, and Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter) that the Knicks will actually be able to carry a 16th player early in the season while Joakim Noah serves his suspension.
Still, Marc Berman of The New York Post – who notes that the Knicks also have interest in John Jenkins – indicates (via Twitter) that the team likely views Burke as a potential G League player.
I thought any player with greater than 3 years’ experience (such as Burke and Jenkins) would be ineligible for a two-way contract?
Yeah, you’re right. If he gets an Exhibit 10 deal and then goes to Westchester, he could get a salary similar to a two-way player, but he couldn’t get an actual two-way contract.
I get why he passed on the thunder now, he wanted to create a super duo with enes kanter