Alec Burks was able to redeem himself from a very rough second go-round with the New York Knicks last season. The 13-year veteran couldn’t find his shot after being traded to New York but began to show confidence in the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers.
The six-foot-six Burks will look to continue that momentum into next season with a new team. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that Alec Burks will be joining the Miami Heat on a one-year deal for what will be his 14th NBA season. It will be a minimum salary deal for the soon-to-be 33-year-old.
Pat Riley Snags 13-Year Veteran To Bolster Depth For Heat
Lengthy Career For Alec Burks To Continue With Heat
Selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, Burks has been a reliable scorer mostly off the bench. He has averaged double figures in scoring eight times in his career including each of the last five seasons. Burks has also become an excellent three-point shooter connecting on over 40% in three-straight seasons from 2020-21 to 2022-23.
Burks was shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc for the Detroit Pistons last season prior to being traded to the Knicks. Once he joined New York, his previously accurate shooting from deep (and really everywhere) fell apart. In 23 regular season games for the Knicks, he shot just 31.3% from the field and 30.1% from three-point territory. With the Knicks depleted by injuries in their series against the Pacers, Burks was re-inserted into the rotation. He recorded double-digit scoring in the team’s last five playoff games. In those five outings, Burks shot 51.0% from the field and 42.9% on three-point tries.
In 742 career regular season games (144 starts), Burks owns per-game averages of 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He has career shooting splits of .415/.383/.806. The Heat will be his seventh NBA team.
Slow Start to Offseason For Miami
The Heat only have the projected $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception and minimum deals to offer to outside free agents. The only move they made in free agency prior to Tuesday was re-signing Kevin Love. Other than Burks, the team re-signed center Thomas Bryant on Tuesday. In 38 games for Miami last season, the soon-to-be 27-year-old Bryant averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Miami selected center Kel’el Ware with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and guard Pelle Larson with the 44th overall pick. Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith remain free agents after playing large roles for the Heat last season.
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