The Knicks are engaged in “serious talks” with G League standout Trey Burke, and could reach an agreement with the veteran guard by the weekend, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Charania, Burke is expected to be held out of this week’s G League showcase by the Westchester Knicks, New York’s affiliate.
This is the second time in the last week that the Knicks have been linked to Burke, who briefly joined the team in the fall in order for New York to secure his G League rights as an affiliate player. Last Thursday, a report indicated that the Knicks were considering calling up Burke, with some members of the organization in favor of giving him an NBA contract.
Burke, the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, has excelled in the G League so far this season, averaging an impressive 26.6 PPG to go along with 5.4 APG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.9 SPG for Westchester. The 25-year-old has also posted a very respectable shooting line of .488/.416/.831.
In order to lock up Burke to an NBA deal, the club will need to make a roster move. With Jarrett Jack sticking around through yesterday’s non-guaranteed contract deadline, the Knicks now have 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so they’ll have to waive one of those players or make a trade in order to create room for Burke. Ramon Sessions looks like the strongest candidate to be cut, while bigs like Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn could be trade candidates.
Cut Baker.
Baker (inexplicably) has a player option next year at a decent figure (close to 5 mm), so he isn’t being cut (he’ll make more than KO or KP will make). Sessions is already meaningless, and would become more so if Burke is added to Jack and FN, and at minimum wage, Sessions is an easy cut or minor trade. Perhaps, with some of the PG injuries, a 2-for-1 trade with Sessions is doable, but nobody is giving up anything for him alone.