Alec Burks has been a revelation but sadly he has been so in the Motor City, where basketball notoriety is tough to earn for those who don’t seemingly fit into the Detroit Pistons future plans. Any of the following three teams may scoop him and take his 44 percent accuracy from downtown to a whole new scene.
Detroit Pistons: Raptors may be able to benefit from Alec Burks’ shooting while hiding his defensive shortcomings
The Raptors could use a 3-point sharpshooter to help it solidify their place among the Eastern Conference’s playoff teams. As it stands, Gary Trent Jr. is the team’s go-to player in this regard, but he’s only knocking down the long ball at a clip of 36 percent on better than seven attempts a game. For the most, when a Raptor hoists the ball in the air from behind the long line, fans respond by wincing and crossing fingers. They’re arguably capable of hiding Burks’ inadequacies on the defensive end, too.
Knicks could satisfy mission, reach playoffs and avoid play-in with Burks shooting the ball
New York has cobbled together one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league. The Knicks are tied for 26th in the league with their embarrassing 33.7 percent accuracy shooting from deep. Alec Burks could help to remedy that in a hurry, and hopefully help the Knicks avoid any play-in scenarios. New York is 11th in defensive rating and 7th in points allowed. Adding Burks to the rotation could elevate the Knicks above the Heat, locking up the six seed.
The Knicks are well-familiar with his work after Burks played two seasons for them and may welcome a reunion at the high price.
Lakers last gasp may involve grasping onto Burks for once last circle around the drain
Like the Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers are shooting just 33.7 percent from three. Their numbers have been dragged down to the bottom of the league by no-conscience shooters LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. They combine to jack up nearly 11 long balls a game and would clearly benefit from giving a few of those up to Burks. But would it matter? This admittedly does feel like the sort of half-hearted measure Rob Pelinka has been taking since arriving in Los Angeles and working his way into power, as if doing so would check some box that proved he had done all he could as Vice President of Basketball Operations of one of the most prestigious (and underachieving) teams in sports.
The Lakers have been consistently connected to the Detroit Pistons in trade rumors but so far have been reluctant to move off one of their future first-round picks.
Burks deserves meaningful minutes somewhere
Alec Burks is better than most anybody in Detroit expected he would be. His perceived value has earned him a place in the trade rumor mill, and he deserves to see what he can do on a club that has for the most part gotten itself together.