Knicks guard Alec Burks recently underwent foot surgery, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that Burks is expected to be available for the start of training camp in the fall.
The procedure was completed shortly after the Knicks’ season ended in the spring, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), confirming Katz’s report, also hears from a source that Burks is expected to be ready to go for the start of the 2022/23 season.
Burks has missed time in past seasons due to foot issues, but they didn’t prevent him from appearing in a career-high 81 games for the Knicks in 2021/22 — he missed just a single game in December for personal reasons. His field goal percentage dipped to a career-worst 39.1%, but he was otherwise solid, averaging 11.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.0 APG with a .404 3PT% in 28.6 minutes per contest.
Burks will be entering the second season of a three-year, $30MM deal he signed with the Knicks in the 2021 offseason. The third year of that contract is a team option, so the veteran guard, who will turn 31 next month, is essentially on an expiring deal.
Multiple reports this offseason, including at least two this week, have identified Burks as a strong candidate to be traded. New York is in the market for a starting point guard and may move Burks either in a trade for that player or to help clear salary cap space to sign one in free agency.
It’s unclear how significantly the status of Burks’ foot will impact his value on the trade market, but it’s safe to assume any team acquiring him would want to get a look at his medicals before signing off.
Burks got put in a tough spot, being asked to play pg for the 1st time in his career. He got progressively better at it tho. His defense (the reason he was starting pg in the 1st place) was always a plus. He shouldn’t be starting anymore but he’s def gonna be a good 4th guard for somebody. I’d keep him if possible if I’m NYK
Yeah, he just isn’t a starter, or a PG, but he’d be a great, efficient backup combo guard that can help share the playmaking load on a second unit of a contender. But nobody has cap room that could really use him, so I don’t see how they’re going to be able to move him without attaching draft picks, which they shouldn’t do, since he is still a valuable player.
Portland could trade Didi Louzada, Keon Johnson & the contract of Andrew Nicholson to NYK for Burks. That would be a smart trade for both teams, especially if KJohnson reaches his potential
I think the Knicks are more after salary relief in deals for Burks, Noel, etc. which is pretty impossible with almost every team over the cap, and the few that are under being in long term rebuilds that would have no interest in them. Knicks basically have no choice but to let Robinson walk, and hope Noel stays healthy next season, then try to trade him at the deadline. They might be able to trade Burks for players with non-guaranteed contracts, but that won’t open up enough cap space to do anything substantial. They really just need to focus on next offseason for making big shakeups and just hope guys like Toppin, Quickley, and Barrett all improve this year. Not a great situation, but their own fault for not properly tanking.