The New York Knicks are searching for bench depth, evidenced by their willingness to trade backup center Jericho Sims. They rank dead last in the league in bench points and clearly lack true depth in the second unit.
Mock trade has the Knicks reuniting with Alec Burks
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic suggested a mock trade that would solve the bench scoring and bring back a fan favorite for a third time. His trade proposal was that the Knicks acquire Alec Burks from the Miami Heat in exchange for Sims and a second-round pick.
Burks spent last year with the Pistons and Knicks before signing a one-year deal with the Heat in free agency. This season, he is averaging 5.7 points and shooting 43.1% from three off the bench for Miami. The 14-year veteran has been viewed as a key bench piece for quite some time now.
When Burks came over to the Knicks at last year’s trade deadline, the hope was that he would be the bench spark plug he was during his first tenure with the Knicks from 2020-22. However, he struggled in his second stint with the team last year but started to pick things up during the playoffs when the team was decimated by injuries.
Burks could solve the Knicks’ bench scoring problems
Bringing him back a third time around feels meaningless, but he actually could solve a ton of issues in the second unit. The Knicks lack shot creation and high-level scoring off the bench, and Burks can create his own looks while also catching fire and picking up the slack while the starters get a rest.
New York will be in the mix for some bench pieces this trade season, and perhaps a reunion with Burks is on the horizon. As the trade deadline approaches, their needs will become more clear, and Burks or someone similar to him will solve a lot of their depth problems.