Heat, Alec Burks Agree To One-Year Contract

The Miami Heat intend to sign veteran guard/forward Alec Burks to a one-year contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

After Burks spent the first eight years of his career with the Utah Jazz, he will now be joining his eighth team. He just finished serving a second stint with the New York Knicks following a midseason trade with the Detroit Pistons.

In 23 games with the Knicks this past season, Burks averaged 6.5 points and 1.7 rebounds. For the season, including his time with the Pistons, Burks appeared in 66 games and averaged 10.4 points. There is likely to be a spot for him in the rotation for regular minutes with the veteran-laden Heat.

Burks, 32, made $10.5 million last season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. He has also spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.

Miami has a few unrestricted free agents of its own, with wing Caleb Martin and forward Haywood Highsmith free to sign anywhere. 

The good news for the Heat is that Burks proved to be fairly valuable for the injury-prone Knicks in the postseason.

“After OG Anunoby‘s injury in the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers, Burks received extended playing time and exploded for nearly 18 points on 51% shooting across five games in that series, showing his worth as a microwave scorer off the bench,” Wojnarowski wrote.

The Knicks likely decided to let Burks walk after acquiring forward Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.