Knicks Lose Potential Salary Addition in Mikal Bridges Deal

Former New York Knicks guard Alec Burks has agreed to join the Miami Heat on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The move eliminated the Knicks’ option from including him via sign-and-trade which would help the Knicks make the math work in the pending Mikal Bridges deal to create more cap room.

Burks signed for the veteran minimum contract worth about $3.3 million, according to the Miami Herald, after coming off a three-year, $30 million deal he signed originally with the Knicks in 2021. The veteran guard recently switched representation, joining Klutch Sports to prepare for his free agency.

Burks came for his second tour of duty with the Knicks at the trade deadline. He was acquired along with Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and Malachi Flynn.

Bogdanovic was used as the salary ballast in the Bridges deal. But the Knicks needed to add more salary to avoid getting hard-capped at the first apron.

The Knicks are still in the market for a backup center in the wake of Isaiah Hartenstein’s departure. However, with the market center almost dried up, they might need to find their new backup center via the trade route.

The 30-year-old Burks averaged 6.5 points in 13.5 minutes across 23 games to end the regular season with the Knicks.

In the Knicks’ second-round loss to the Indiana Pacers in the last playoffs, Burks averaged 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 42.9% from the 3-point range.

Other Knicks Options

With Burks gone, the Knicks have Miles McBride or Precious Achiuwa via sign-and-trade as their other options to include in the Bridges trade, according to salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan, per SNY’s Ian Begley.

“They can [avoid getting hard-capped at first apron] by trading McBride ($4.7 million salary for 2024-25) or signing and trading either Alec Burks or Precious Achiuwa, per Yossi Gozlan (who is a great resource for salary cap details),” Begley wrote on June 28.

Knicks forward Josh Hart named McBride’s three-year, $13 million extension as the “best contract” in the NBA during the May 31 episode of the “Roommates Show” he co-hosted with Jalen Brunson.

On the other hand, Achiuwa is still left unsigned. But Hartenstein’s exit also makes Achiuwa an option as a backup center for the Knicks.

Knicks Not Open to Including Miles McBride in Mikal Bridges Deal

The Knicks are reluctant to send McBride to the Brooklyn Nets, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.

“The team discussed the possibility of including Miles McBride in the Bridges trade, according to league sources — and not because they are itching to trade away a 23-year-old fireball on a minuscule contract, only $13 million over the next three seasons. It’s math. If they wanted to, the Knicks could find a third team to route McBride to, acquire a future first-round pick in the process and avoid the first-apron hard cap. His salary plus Bogdanović’s would just barely top Bridges’. But they have since shied away from that scenario, a league source said,” Katz wrote on June 27.

McBride is coming off his breakout season in the NBA after the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley as part of the OG Anunoby deal with Toronto in December.

Since the departure of Quickley, McBride assumed the backup point guard duties and averaged a career-high 10.7 points, 2.1 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the 3-point range.

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