Alec Burks, Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) – New York Knicks
2. Alec Burks
Alec Burks was with New York from 2020-22, playing a notable role on the fourth-seeded Knicks team in 2021. He shot over 40% from three in both of his years with the team, although he was traded to the Detroit Pistons last summer in order to open up the necessary cap space to sign Jalen Brunson.
Burks was an exceptional shooting guard off the bench, although he struggled when Thibodeau gave him minutes as lead point guard. He recorded a 54.4% true shooting percentage as a starter two seasons ago, compared to a 58.4% true shooting percentage off the bench.
Given the reasonable explanation for his production decline combined with his perfectly normal departure from the team, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Knicks attempt to bring him back in a trade.
Similar to McDermott, the Pistons are still rebuilding and have no real incentive to keep the soon-to-be 32-year-old on their roster other than to dangle him as trade bait. Burks continued to be productive despite the mediocre talent surrounding him, averaging 12.8 points and 2.2 assists per game on 44-41-81 shooting splits.
He’s already played with most of the current roster, so the familiarity should allow him to grow comfortable in his role right away. It isn’t hard to imagine him fitting in seamlessly on the bench alongside Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, Obi Toppin, and Isaiah Hartenstein.
With just one year and $10 million left on his current deal, the price of acquiring him wouldn’t deplete the Knicks’ assets either.
spent 55 games with the Knicks</a> during the 2017-18 season, a year in which New York started off 17-14 but quickly came back down to earth. He was traded at the deadline, part of a three-team deal that resulted in Emmanuel Mudiay wearing the blue and orange.</p>
<p>He’s continued to remain productive as he’s entered his 30s, recently averaging 10.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs while shooting 41.3% from three.</p>
<p>In fact, McDermott has hit 41.8% of his shots from behind the arc since New York traded him while attempting just over four per game. This is even more impressive considering the high level of difficulty on his three-point attempts, often pulling up before he’s able to stop his momentum.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">McBuckets raining buckets 🪣☔️ <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://t.co/AKPcVpxkuK">pic.twitter.com/AKPcVpxkuK
<p>— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://twitter.com/spurs/status/1612625794790232064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 10, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Among players who attempted at least 30 pull-up threes this season, Doug McDermott ranked <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://www.nba.com/stats/players/pullup?CF=PULL_UP_FG3A*GE*30&Conference=West&PerMode=Totals&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&dir=D&sort=PULL_UP_FG3_PCT%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth in the entire NBA</a> with a 42.6% shooting mark. As for current Knicks players with 30+ pull-up threes attempted, only Jalen Brunson (38%) hit over 35% of his looks.</p>
<p>The Spurs will likely be attempting to build around projected first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama, which means 31-year-old McDermott doesn’t exactly fit their timeline. With one year and just over $13 million remaining on his current deal, it makes sense for San Antonio to explore trades involving him before he hits unrestricted free agency.</p>
<p>From the Knicks’ point of view, they wouldn’t need to give up much for a possible one-year rental despite McDermott still being a productive role player who projects as a perfect offensive fit next to Brunson.</p>
<p>It’s also worth noting that he shot 38.7% from three with New York, showing the ability not to be rattled by the pressure of playing in a large market.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A former member of the "Big 15" </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-144581" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1742,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1441514581-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1742" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1441514581-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1441514581-768x522.jpeg 768w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1441514581-1536x1045.jpeg 1536w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1441514581-2048x1393.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Alec Burks, Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>2. Alec Burks</h3>
<p>Alec Burks was with New York from 2020-22, playing a notable role on the fourth-seeded Knicks team in 2021. He shot over 40% from three in both of his years with the team, although he was traded to the Detroit Pistons last summer in order to <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/06/28/knicks-trade-alec-burks-nerlens-noel-pave-way-jalen-brunson-signing/">open up the necessary cap space</a> to sign Jalen Brunson.</p>
<p>Burks was an exceptional shooting guard off the bench, although he struggled when Thibodeau gave him minutes as lead point guard. He recorded a 54.4% true shooting percentage as a starter two seasons ago, compared to a 58.4% true shooting percentage off the bench.</p>
<p>Given the reasonable explanation for his production decline combined with his perfectly normal departure from the team, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Knicks attempt to bring him back in a trade.</p>
<p>Similar to McDermott, the Pistons are still rebuilding and have no real incentive to keep the soon-to-be 32-year-old on their roster other than to dangle him as trade bait. Burks continued to be productive despite the mediocre talent surrounding him, averaging 12.8 points and 2.2 assists per game on 44-41-81 shooting splits.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Step back Burks going to work 👀<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pistons?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#Pistons</a> | <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://twitter.com/AlecBurks10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@AlecBurks10 <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://t.co/v0wyqXnm3g">pic.twitter.com/v0wyqXnm3g
<p>— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://twitter.com/DetroitPistons/status/1620246731693883392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 31, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>He’s already played with most of the current roster, so the familiarity should allow him to grow comfortable in his role right away. It isn’t hard to imagine him fitting in seamlessly on the bench alongside Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, Obi Toppin, and Isaiah Hartenstein.</p>
<p>With just one year and $10 million left on his current deal, the price of acquiring him wouldn’t deplete the Knicks’ assets either.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A second chance after a nasty exit </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-144610" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1466555167-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1466555167-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1466555167-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1466555167-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1466555167-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Kristaps Porzingis, Washington Wizards. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>1. Kristaps Porzingis</h3>
<p>Once viewed as the savior of the Knicks franchise, Kristaps Porzingis has come a long way since his rocky departure from New York in 2019. His All-Star selection, 40-point game, and heartbreaking ACL tear all seem like distant memories.</p>
<p>His career has been filled with ups and downs, but a slew of injuries has caused him to record just one season of playing in 60+ games since the blockbuster trade. He was dealt to the Wizards in 2022 by Dallas for a meager package consisting of Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie. Only Bertans remains on the Mavericks.</p>
<p>With that being said, things have begun to look promising again for Porzingis. He just put together the best season of his career in Washington, averaging 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game on 50-39-85 splits while appearing in 65 contests.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A career night for Kristaps Porzingis.</p>
<p>43 PTS (career-high)<br>5 REB<br>5 AST<br>7 3PM<br>77% FG <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://t.co/wZM13nDb7K">pic.twitter.com/wZM13nDb7K
<p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1633690914781642753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR metric</a>, which combines box score and on-off components, ranked Porzingis as the 19th best player in the NBA to tie him with Brunson, Paul George, and James Harden.</p>
<p>His efficiency as well as his aggressiveness in the paint are both at all-time highs, and at 27 years old he’s just starting to enter his prime. He’s thrown down 168 dunks in 116 games over his past two seasons. Compare this to his Knicks tenure, where he recorded just 183 dunks in 186 games over three years.</p>
<p>While his exit from New York was messy, Porzingis has <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/06/18/3-former-knicks-team-consider-trading-for-offseason-porzingis-burks-mcdermott/2/"https://www.nba.com/news/qa-kristaps-porzingis-wizards-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoken a few times</a> about missing the large market as well as wishing he could have done things differently about his trade request. It seems like he’d be open to a reunion.</p>
<p>He currently has a player option for one more season and could decline it to enter free agency. However, the Knicks don’t have the cap space to sign him outright so a sign-and-trade would need to be worked out.</p>
<p>Mitchell Robinson is an above-average center who is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the league, although his lack of spacing as well as a consistent offensive skillset has led to some problems in the halfcourt offense.</p>
<p>Porzingis doesn’t have the same kind of defensive versatility, but it’s impossible to ignore how beneficial his floor-spacing and self-created offense would be for the rest of the Knicks’ starters. If he continues on his current trend of remaining mostly healthy, New York would be getting a star without emptying all of their draft capital.</p>
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