New York Knicks rumors indicate the team has added another free agent guard. The Knicks have signed Trey Burke to a one-year contract, potentially giving the team more depth during the 2017-18 NBA season. The move is expected to result in Burke getting sent to the G League team, as reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman also stated that the team is looking into signing John Jenkins.
It’s no secret that the Knicks are still mired in a rebuilding phase, as evidenced by the recent trade of Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coach Jeff Hornacek is still in place with the franchise, though, and he has a lot of new faces to work with during the coming season. Should one of the primary guards suffer an injury or struggle early in the year, Burke could end up seeing an immediate promotion.
What has Burke done during his NBA career?
Trey Burke played four seasons with the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, starting 111 of the 267 games he played for the team. During that time, he averaged 10.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. Burke saw his minutes drop to just 12.3 per game last year, with the Wizards moving on from him when free agency rolled around. Now, the 24-year-old guard will try to resurrect his career with the Knicks.
Burke was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2013 NBA Draft, but he ended up getting traded to the Utah Jazz for Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad. Last summer, the Washington Wizards traded for Burke, sending a 2021 second-round draft pick to Utah in exchange for the guard. He did not find a sustainable role with the Wizards and played just 57 games coming off the bench.
Knicks heading in a new direction
The New York Knicks are going to try something new during the 2017-18 NBA season and it will be an effort to work with young players to build something from scratch. Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott, who were acquired in the Carmelo Anthony trade, should see big minutes this year. Kanter was already seeing heavy minutes during the NBA preseason, averaging 16.5 points through the first two games.
Both players help Hornacek with depth on the roster.
It may take a while for Knicks fans to get used to the new phases, but holdovers like Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez should also see a lot of playing time. The first game of the regular season also comes against a familiar foe, as the Knicks will play against Anthony and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 19. Will this be the season where there are more New York Knicks rumors about playoff tickets than player movement during the second half of the year?
