Alec Burks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Claxton, Fournier, Burks

December 2nd, 2021 at 8:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Toucher and Rich on Boston radio on Thursday morning, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens expressed displeasure with one of the quotes included in Tim Bontemps’ ESPN report on the team last week. As we relayed, an anonymous assistant coach who spoke to Bontemps questioned Jayson Tatum‘s desire to win, suggesting that the forward only wants to win “on his terms.” Stevens vehemently disagreed, calling the comment “a joke.”

“I thought that quote was absolutely ridiculous, to be honest,” Stevens said, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “I don’t ever react to that stuff and I actually sent a note to one of the people I work with like, ‘This is idiotic.’ Just be around (Tatum) every day. That guy loves to win. He’s sitting there with his feet in the ice bucket after every game that we lose and he looks despondent. This guy’s competitive. I know that for a fact. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

Stevens said that anonymous assistant coach shouldn’t be making that sort of comment without putting his name to it, but acknowledged that wouldn’t happen because it would provide Tatum with bulletin-board material when the Celtics played the assistant’s team.

“Jayson would kill him every time he played him for the rest of his career,” Stevens said. “That’s the way those guys in this league are wired.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Nets center Nicolas Claxton, a restricted free agent in 2022, recently hired new representation, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link), who says Claxton has signed with CAA Sports. Bondy adds that the non-COVID illness which has kept the big man out of action since October 25 is mononucleosis. Claxton appears to be nearing a return though. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN notes (via Twitter), he’s not listed on the team’s latest injury report for Friday’s game.
Ian O’Connor of The New York Post says the Knicks‘ benching of Kemba Walker should send a message to Evan Fournier, another one of the team’s major free agent additions whose play has been inconsistent since he arrived in New York.
The decision to pull Walker out of the rotation and start Alec Burks is paying early dividends for the Knicks, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Burks has led New York in scoring in his first two games as a starter and the team is playing better defense.

Knicks Pull Kemba Walker From Rotation

November 29th, 2021 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are removing point guard Kemba Walker from both the starting lineup and their regular rotation, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Monday (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).

It’s unclear whether the change will be a short-term or long-term move, but Thibodeau said Walker is out of the rotation “as of right now.” Alec Burks will take over as the team’s starting point guard for the foreseeable future, according to Thibs (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News).

The Knicks’ signing of Walker to a two-year, $18MM deal in the offseason after he was bought out by Oklahoma City was viewed as one of the summer’s highest-upside deals. After all, Walker had been a maximum-salary player and wasn’t far removed from making four consecutive All-Star teams.

However, while Walker’s .413 3PT% to date is a career high, he has failed to recapture his All-Star form, averaging a modest 11.7 PPG and 3.1 APG in 18 games (24.5 MPG). The 31-year-old, who has battled knee issues in recent years, has had his minutes managed for health reasons and has been a liability on the defensive end.

The Knicks have a 116.3 defensive rating and a -13.3 net rating with Walker on the court, compared to a 99.0 defensive rating and +11.2 net rating when he sits. Kemba isn’t the only New York starter who has struggled and isn’t entirely to blame for those numbers, but given how well Burks has played this season, a change at point guard made sense for the club.

Having signed a new three-year, $30MM contract with the Knicks in the offseason, Burks has averaged 10.5 PPG on .426/.451/.800 shooting in 20 games (22.3 MPG) so far in 2021/22 and has been a more reliable presence on defense. The team has a +5.2 net rating in his minutes.

Knicks Notes: Burks, Walker, Dinwiddie, Randle

November 28th, 2021 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Playing with a depleted roster, the Knicks got a huge lift from Alec Burks in Saturday’s win over Atlanta, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Making his first start of the season, the veteran swingman delivered 23 points as New York ended the Hawks’ seven-game winning streak.

Burks was called into service at point guard with Derrick Rose injured and Kemba Walker resting on the second night of a back-to-back. It was the latest in a series of strong performances for Burks, and Berman suggests that he may become a regular part of the starting lineup.

“We’re a great team and we have a lot of depth, so I believe I can step up at any time,’’ Burks said. “It was just my night tonight. … It’s the way we play. Anyone can handle the ball at any time. That’s (coach Tom Thibodeau’s) offense.’’

There’s more from New York:

Walker remains the Knicks’ starter at point guard, but he has rarely been playing in the fourth quarter, Berman notes in a separate story. Walker’s arthritic left knee is limiting him to 24.5 minutes per night, and Thibodeau is turning to Rose to finish games. As a result, Walker is averaging a career-low 11.7 points per game and the team is routinely getting outscored when he is on the court.
Some members of the organization wanted to make a play for Spencer Dinwiddie in free agency, Berman adds, but the team opted to sign Evan Fournier, then reached an agreement with Walker after his buyout with the Thunder. “They had to make a splash,’’ an unidentified team executive told Berman about the decision to add Walker, a New York City native.
The Knicks won’t be able to make a serious playoff run without a greater contribution from Julius Randle, states Ian O’Connor of The New York Post. Randle earned Most Improved Player honors last year while leading New York to the fourth seed, but he hasn’t been the same player since the postseason. He shot just 3-of-14 Saturday night, and his scoring and shooting percentages have declined significantly.

New York Notes: Durant, Irving, Harden, Burks, Fournier

October 9th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant‘s latest comments on Kyrie Irving sounded like a plea for the Nets All-Star point guard to get vaccinated and rejoin the team for the entire season, as Nets Videos relays (Twitter link).

“We want him here for the whole thing,” Durant said. “We want him here for games, home games, practices, away games, shootarounds all of it. Hopefully, we can figure this thing out.”

The latest development on the Irving saga came Friday, when the team was informed that he could practice with the team but not play in home games.

We have more from the New York City teams:

Nets guard James Harden struggled in his preseason debut on Friday against Milwaukee, scoring eight points and committing four turnovers. Harden said it was an odd experience after missing playoff games and spending most of the offseason recovering from a hamstring strain, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “Practice is different obviously, but just being on the court and having to move felt weird. But I’ll get adjusted to it,” he said.
Alec Burks‘ ability to make an immediate impact on a game is a luxury for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “We were in desperate need of shooting, so he provided shot-making, playmaking,” Thibodeau said. “He can go off the dribble, can play three positions, and he can function as a starter or a guy off the bench. As soon as you put him in the game, he’s ready to go.” Burks re-signed with the Knicks in August on a three-year, $30MM pact.
Knicks wing Evan Fournier was added mainly to bring some offensive punch but he vows to not be a defensive liability, Botte relays in a separate story. “I consider myself a guy that competes really hard, so I’m not concerned about the defense at all,” he said. “Even as a unit, we’re going to be good defensively.” Fournier was acquired in a sign-and-trade from Boston on a four-year deal worth up to $78MM.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Irving, Quickley, Stevens, Joe

October 6th, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets All-Star forward Kevin Durant is trying to stay optimistic as the Kyrie Irving situation drags on, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Irving can’t practice at the team’s facility and will have to miss more than half of its games unless he changes his mind and gets vaccinated. Durant believes Irving will eventually rejoin his teammates.

“I’m envisioning Kyrie being a part of our team,” Durant said. “Maybe I’m just naïve, but that is just how I feel. But I think everybody here has that confidence in themselves, in our group, that if we keep building, we can do something special.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks have a crowded backcourt but second-year guard Immanuel Quickley remains part of the team’s plans. Coach Tom Thibodeau believes he can play Quickley in a number of different guard combinations, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. “The great value with (Quickley) is that he plays with Derrick (Rose) and Alec (Burks), and so really the point (guard) is interchangeable with those guys. They move the ball and they make plays for each other real well,” Thibodeau said. “So, oftentimes, Quickley will bring it up. Derrick will bring it up. Alec could bring it up or we’ll get into dribble-handoffs. … We’re gonna fly around.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn’t miss the daily grind of being the head coach, he told A. Sherrod Blakely of Full Court Press. “I haven’t had to worry about practice plan, game plan, none of that,” said Stevens. “I’ve enjoyed watching Ime (Udoka) put the team together and figure out how he wants to play, who compliments who, and all those things that go into that.”
Sixers second-year guard Isaiah Joe is angling for playing time and he’s gotten off to a good start in the preseason, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. He had 18 points — including four 3-pointers — three rebounds and three steals against the Raptors. “We’ve got to get him on the floor more is what I keep telling our coaches,” coach Doc Rivers said, “because those 10 guys [in the rotation] are playing so much. … I told [Joe], I don’t care what unit you’re on, just keep going back and forth.”

Knicks Notes: Fournier, Gibson, Rose, Burks

August 18th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have formally announced many of their offseason free agent signings in recent days, with new deals for Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, Derrick Rose, and Taj Gibson all becoming official.

We’re still waiting on the team to finalize its four-year extension for Julius Randle, along with some minor signings like Dwayne Bacon. But the flurry of transactions this week means that we now have details on several of the Knicks’ new contracts. Let’s dive in and round them up…

As we relayed earlier today, Evan Fournier has $1.5MM per year in unlikely incentives on his new four-year deal. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Instagram video), the majority of those bonuses are related to team success — Fournier would earn an extra $1MM, for instance, if the Knicks were to win the title. There are also bonuses related to All-Star and All-NBA nods, which are a long shot to be earned.
Taj Gibson‘s new two-year deal features a team option for the 2022/23 season, according to Marks.
Marks says the cap hits on Derrick Rose‘s new three-year contract are $13.4MM, $14.5MM, and $15.6MM. Those are likely rounded figures, as the most the Knicks could’ve offered Rose using his Early Bird rights was approximately $13.445MM in year one, $14.521MM in year two, and $15.596MM in year three. The deal, which includes a third-year team option, comes in at about $43.56MM.
Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets the details of Alec Burks‘ three-year, $30MM+ contract, which are identical to what Burks would’ve received if he were signed using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Knicks used cap room to sign Burks, but as Marks observes, they may have structured the agreement that way early in free agency in case they found a way to stay over the cap all offseason and needed the MLE for Burks.

Eastern Rumors: Dinwiddie, Wizards, Avdija, Oladipo, Knicks, Bitadze

August 4th, 2021 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards continue to work through their complicated sign-and-trade acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie, according to multiple reports.

Quinton Mayo (Twitter link) has heard the Bulls and Thunder mentioned as teams that could end up getting involved in a multi-team trade involving Dinwiddie. Mayo also reports that the Nets asked the Wizards for Deni Avdija during those negotiations, which Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (twitter link) corroborates.

If and when the Wizards, Nets, and other potential trade partners figure out a deal, Dinwiddie is expected to get a three-year, $62MM deal from Washington, reports Winfield (Twitter link).

Here are a few more updates from around the East:

Although Victor Oladipo‘s camp is optimistic that he’ll be able to return to action sometime between late December and early February, some Heat people believe March is a more realistic target, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Oladipo, who underwent quad tendon surgery in May, agreed to a minimum-salary contract with Miami.
Following up on an Ian Begley report that stated the final year in the Knicks‘ deals with Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, Derrick Rose, and Evan Fournier aren’t guaranteed, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link) clarifies that all four deals are expected to have standard team options in their last years. Noel, Burks, and Rose will have those options in year three, while Fournier’s will be in year four.
Pacers big man Goga Bitadze wanted to play for the team in Summer League this month, but he missed Indiana’s first two SL practices due to back soreness and is now away from the club due to a personal matter, writes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.

Knicks Notes: Fournier, Sims, Gibson, Bullock, Guarantees, Point Guards

August 3rd, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Eli Cohen

In a story for The New York Post, Marc Berman describes how the Knicks came to terms with free agent Evan Fournier while the veteran wingman is in the midst of an Olympic run with the French national team. Berman writes that Fournier’s relationship with former Magic head coach Steve Clifford, a close friend of Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, likely played a part in the Knicks’ decision to pursue the 6’7″ wing.

“I’d bet the Knicks signed him because Clifford raved to Thibs about how much Fournier wants to win and is about all the right things,’’ a source from Orlando told Berman. “Cliff says that Fournier is one of the toughest players — mentally and physically — that he’s ever coached.’’

We have more news from the Knicks:

In a separate article, Berman writes that Jericho Sims, the athletic center out of Texas taken with the 58th pick, is likely to receive a two-way contract, thereby limiting him to a maximum of 50 games with the Knicks. Sims is set to play for the Knicks in Summer League.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, Taj Gibson – who agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract to stay in New York – had significant interest around the league, but the Knicks sold him on his importance to their culture and the team’s development going forward.
Begley also writes that the Knicks and Mavericks were interested in exploring a sign-and-trade for wing Reggie Bullock earlier in free agency, but that it’s unclear if such a deal has been pursued since Bullock committed to the Mavs.
All of the contracts the Knicks agreed to on Monday — Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Evan Fournier — will be not fully guaranteed in their final year, Begley reports. Rose, Burks, and Noel will sign for three years apiece, while Fournier agreed to a four-year deal. Begley erroneously reported on Monday that Burks’ three-year deal was fully guaranteed.
Finally, Begley writes that with the Knicks are interested in pursuing another point guard with their remaining cap space. Dennis Schroder and Reggie Jackson remain the two most prominent names on the point guard market.

Knicks Re-Sign Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel

August 2nd, 2021 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 17: The Knicks have now officially re-signed Burks as well, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 10: The Knicks’ deal with Noel is official, per NBA.com’s transactions log. As noted last week, the three-year contract includes a team option for the 2023/24 season.

AUGUST 2: The Knicks have agreed to new deals with unrestricted free agents Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, Burks’ new deal will be worth $30MM over three years, while Noel will get a three-year contract worth $32MM.

Burks and Noel both signed team-friendly one-year contracts with New York in 2020 and outplayed those deals. Burks put up 12.7 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a career-high .415 3PT% in 49 games (25.6 MPG), while Noel started 41 of his 64 games, recording 5.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in 24.2 MPG.

Burks had been viewed as a probable target for the Cavaliers, while Noel had been linked to the Raptors, Knicks, Hornets, and Kings. However, the Knicks entered the day with more cap flexibility than any other team, putting them in good position to get deals done with their priority free agents.

New York should still have upwards of $30MM+ in possible cap room after making their commitments to Burks and Noel.

Fischer’s Latest: Bulls, Ball, Pelicans, Hornets, Lakers, Schröder, Knicks, More

August 2nd, 2021 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

While it’s possible the Bulls will sign restricted free agent point guard Lonzo Ball to an offer sheet in the four-year, $80MM range, doing so would be a risk, since the Pelicans could match that offer and leave Chicago empty-handed. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, a possible three-team deal involving the Bulls, Pelicans, and Hornets could eliminate that risk and ensure Ball lands in Chicago.

The structure – which John Hollinger of The Athletic alluded to earlier today and which has seemingly gained traction, per Fischer – would see Ball going to the Bulls, Devonte’ Graham to the Pelicans, and Tomas Satoransky, Josh Hart, and draft assets to the Hornets.

Fischer cautions that this is only one idea in play and that things should become clearer once free agency opens. A sign-and-trade that only involves the Bulls and Pelicans – with Satoransky going to New Orleans – is also a possibility, he adds.

Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor roundup:

The Lakers haven’t given up on the possibility of acquiring Buddy Hield from the Kings, but they don’t appear to be working closely with Dennis Schröder‘s camp on a possible sign-and-trade arrangement, per Fischer.
The Knicks and Wizards are still considered possibilities for Schröder, according to Fischer. The veteran point guard is also believed to be one of the Bulls‘ targets if they can’t land Ball, Fischer notes, writing that Chicago has done its homework on DeMar DeRozan and Richaun Holmes as well.
The Knicks are widely believed to be a frontrunner to sign Evan Fournier, perhaps for a three-year deal worth about $18MM annually, Fischer reports. Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel are also strong candidates to re-sign with New York for deals worth about $10MM per year, Fischer adds.
Will Barton appears likely to return to the Nuggets, according to Fischer, who says a two-year, $32MM+ contract is a real possibility.
Cameron Payne is considered a good bet to re-sign with the Suns for a deal in the $6MM-per-year range, says Fischer.