Tag Archives: Alec Burks

Cavaliers acquire Knight, Chriss and protected first

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The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a three-team deal Wednesday.

In an expected move the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Alec Burks Wednesday. It was a three-team deal that also involved draft picks.

Cavaliers receive: Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss, lottery protected 2019 first round pick from Houston
Rockets receive: Iman Shumpert, Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin IV
Kings receive: Alec Burks, second round pick from Cleveland

Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin IV were acquired just days ago in a deal that sent Rodney Hood to Portland. Apparently Cleveland did not have either player in their longterm plans. Alec Burks is another player that was inevitably going to be moved. Burks was acquired for Kyle Korver earlier this season and it was a foregone conclusion that he would be moved.

Breaking down the Cavaliers haul

First things first, the highlight of the deal, the lottery protected first round pick from Houston. The Rockets are highly unlikely to end up as lottery team this season, so this pick is all but guaranteed to belong to Cleveland. That is unless this pick is used to acquire a player via trade before or during the draft.

Brandon Knight is a former first-round pick of the Detroit Pistons who averages 14.9 points per game in his career. Knight has one year remaining on his deal after this season worth just over $15.6 million. If the Cavaliers keep Knight he could backup rookie Collin Sexton while moving Matthew Dellavedova to more of a reserve role. However it is just as likely as his acquisition is only temporary. Cleveland could move Knight in a move similar to the one that brought him to Cleveland in order to acquire another draft pick.

The other player acquired by the Cavaliers is forward Marquese Chriss. Chriss has been largely disappointing this season, averaging 1.8 points per game in only 6.5 minutes per game. Chriss is in the final year of his contract. The 2019 club option in his contract was not exercised by Houston and he will be a free agent after the season. Like Knight, Chriss may also be on the move again.

If the Cavaliers hang on to either player that is fine. The team is going nowhere this season and might as well gamble on a few players. If Cleveland moves one or both players for more draft picks, all the better. Anything to help bolster the team in the future, Houston’s first round pick may just be the beginning of a draft pick based rebuild.

Cavaliers Fall to Celtics Despite 27 From Sexton

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The Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the Boston Celtics Tuesday night in Cleveland. Despite Collin Sexton falling 2 short of his career high with 27 points, they take the tough loss by a final score of 103-96.

Stats via ESPN

The Cavaliers put up a surprigingly good game against the 35-19 Celtics, despite them missing Kyrie Irving, leading 30-28 after one. A Terry Rozier buzzer-beating three pointer would put Boston up 59-51 at halftime, but the Cavs weren’t going away, cutting the lead to six, 85-79, entering the fourth. Boston lead most of the way throughout the game and the entire fourth quarter, but Alec Burks was big late and the Cavs were able to make it a 101-96 game with a little over 2:00 to go. Cleveland would not score again, however, and Boston held on for a 103-96 tough road victory. Collin Sexton scored a game-high 27 points, while second-year standout Jayson Tatum lead the way for Boston, scoring 25.

Collin Sexton’s hot start not enough for Cavaliers

Sexton was great right from the start, starting off the game with three aggressive drives to the basket before hitting a three to cap off a 9-point first quarter. He scores 9 more in the second, hitting another three and continuing to play aggressive. More of the same in the third quarter, scoring 9 more points and totaling 27.

Collin, however, did not score in the fourth quarter and was not able to reach his career high of 29 points. He continues to show flashes of being great but, again, proves to be inconsistent. He went 0-5 from the field in the fourth quarter, and finished the night with totals of 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, on 11-24 shooting (3-7 from three).

While Sexton played a big role in keeping the Cavaliers in the game, Alec Burks also had a big night. Burks totaled 21 points and was huge down the stretch offensively, making a couple of clutch plays late and scoring the Cavalier’s last five points. Burks is the most obvious potential trade target on this Cavalier roster, and surely boosted his stock with this great performance.

Larry Nance Jr. chipped in 11 and 7 off the bench. Zizic, Nwaba, and Delly scored 8 apiece, but the Cavalier’s leading scorer Jordan Clarkson had an offnight, putting up only 7 points on 2-13 shooting (1-7 from three)

Cavaliers: Alec Burks next to go?

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With the trade deadline just a few days away and the Cleveland Cavaliers being sellers, is Alec Burks the next to go?

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 P.M. With already shipping out Kyle Korver, Rodney Hood and George Hill will the Cleveland Cavaliers make another deal and trade Alec Burks?

Alec Burks was already the subject of a trade this season, coming to Cleveland in the deal that sent Kyle Korver to Utah. Upon arriving in Cleveland, rumors of an eventual trade began. With Burks being on an expiring contract and Cleveland obviously tanking, the team could send him elsewhere. A trade would not only be able to have Burks playing for a contender, but it could have the Cavaliers acquiring an asset for the future.

Alec Burks’ time with the Cavaliers could have contenders interested in his services

In 33 games with the Cavaliers this season Burks is averring 11.4 points per game while shooting a career-low 39.6 percent from the field. 23 of Burks’ appearances this season have been starts. The 23 starts for Burks are the second-most in his career.

An encouraging note about Burks in Cleveland is his three-point field goal percentage. At 38.1 percent, Burks’ conversion rate is the third-highest in his career. In addition to his improved three-point shooting percentage, Burks is also averaging the most rebounds per game at this point in his career (5.5). Rebounding guards are relatively hard to come by, Burks’ improvement in that area could attract other teams for his services.

Is Alec Burks a longterm solution for a team that acquires him? Probably not. However with teams focusing on overall depth of the roster and the endless quest for bench scoring Burks could be a valuable asset for contenders. Given the chance Burks can score as a complimentary option to others on a roster.

Trading Alec Burks may end up being the next player the Cleveland Cavaliers trade away before the deadline. Of course there are others who could be dealt. Alec Burks just appears to be the next player to go.

Four Deals the Cavaliers Could Make at the Deadline

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The Cavs are clearly in all-out rebuild mode. They sit at 10-40 coming off a win over Chicago and are currently in last place in the NBA, which means it’s time to stockpile as many young players and picks as possible before the trade deadline. Cleveland has some talented players on the roster who could be a help to a contending team’s bench. Let’s hop right in and explore four potential deals the Cavaliers could make at the trade deadline.

1. Rockets Add Bench Help in Burks, Hood

Cleveland trades: Alec Burks, Rodney Hood

Houston trades: Brandon Knight, Marquise Chriss, 2021 second round pick

Houston has a star-studded roster, but they lack depth and might just need to add a few bench pieces to really step up to the next level. Alec Burks and Rodney Hood can both step in and give the Rockets a little self-creating offense off the bench, giving stars James Harden and Chris Paul a break. Plus, they’re both good off-ball shooters, which teams with superstars can never seem to get enough of. Houston would also get rid of Brandon Knight’s contract, which helps them financially, but we’ll get to that in a second.

Meanwhile, this makes perfect sense on the Cleveland side. Burks and Hood are two expiring players who likely aren’t a part of the Cavs future. Marquise Chriss is a good young big man who, just today, requested a trade out of Houston to someplace where he can get an opportunity to play.

Chriss can surely crack the Cleveland rotation, and although he is on an expiring contract, the Cavs would be able to offer him more money in the offseason than most teams if they trade for him. Knight hasn’t played at a high level since his ACL injury in 2016-17 and is not playing well for Houston. His contract is worth around $14M for the next two season, which is OK for the Cavs, whose recent strategy has been to collect contracts that expire after the 2019-20 season and then have a lot of cap space. The final item, that 2021 second round pick is always a nice addition for a rebuilding team like the Cavaliers.

2. Bucks Add Burks

Milwaukee trades: Jason Smith, Thon Maker, DJ Wilson

Cleveland trades: Alec Burks, David Nwaba

The Milwaukee Bucks currently have the best record in the NBA. Behind an MVP-caliber season from Giannis Antetokounmpo and all-star caliber campaigns from Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe. The Bucks bench is decent, but it could do with one more piece. They have plenty of shooting, so why not add a little of instant offense in Burks? Nwaba can also help their depth and add a little defensive energy.

Meanwhile, the big piece of this deal for Cleveland is the young 7-foot center Thon Maker. Maker has recently requested a trade to a team where he can have a bigger role. Maker (pronounced MAH-KER), 21, was selected 10th overall in 2016. Not because of his talent, but because of his ridiculous work ethic and desire to win. He’s been disappointing so far in his career, but he’s only 21 and can still develop into a good center. He’s got the height, length and a good jumpshot. D.J. Wilson is a solid young power foward, and veteran Jason Smith would be included for salary matching purposes (he’s on a $5M, expiring contract).

3. Hornets Take the Next Step

Charlotte trades: Bismack Biyombo, 2019 second round pick (from OKC), 2019 second round pick (less favorable of DEN and WAS)

Cleveland trades: Rodney Hood, J.R. Smith

Charlotte currently sits at 24-25, eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are currently 2.5 games back of them for a playoff spot, so Charlotte is going to need a little more help if they’re going to stay one step ahead of Detroit. Kemba Walker’s contract is expiring this year, and he’s likely not coming back, so the Hornets would like to make the most of his final season. Or, if they show that they’re making moves to win it could influence Kemba’s decision this offseason.

J.R. Smith hasn’t suited up for a Cavs game in awhile and is the most obvious Cavalier to try to trade, and he can help space the court for Charlotte. Meanwhile, Rodney Hood adds an additional offensive boost and, again, more shooting to that Hornets offense. It’s not a huge trade or anything, but it puts Charlotte into a good position to have a good shot at the playoffs this year.

Meanwhile, Cleveland acquires the bad contract of Bismack Biyombo, $17M for the next two seasons. As we mentioned earlier, it fits in with the Cavaliers plan to bunch up the “expiring in ’19-20” contracts. The picks are, as always a good addition to a rebuilding team and Cleveland rids themselves of the $3.87M guaranteed of Smith’s contract next year, even if he’s cut (it’s worth over $15M if he’s not cut).

4. Blazers Rid of Bad Contracts, Add Bench Help

Portland trades: Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard, 2019 first round pick, 2021 second round pick

Cleveland trades: J.R. Smith, Alec Burks, Rodney Hood

Portland currently sits at 31-20, 4th in the Western Conference. While they aren’t talked about much at all, Damian Lillard is quietly having another exceptional year and has lead Portland to unexpected success. They’re star-studded with Lillard, shooting guard CJ McCollum and a few other nice pieces like center Jusuf Nurkic.

Portland needs more depth to step up into the level of teams like Golden State, Denver, Houston, and even Oklahoma City. This trade gives them just that. Smith, Burks and Hood could bring a lot of great offense to a currently weak Portland bench, and Hood might even start at small forward for them. They also get rid of two bad contracts.

Turner and Leonard are on $17.9M and $10.6M deals, respectively, but they go along with our common theme of expiring after the ’19-20 season. This is our only deal that involves a first round pick, which the Cavaliers would be happy to take for three players who aren’t a part of their future.

Cavaliers players who could be on the move

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The NBA trade deadline is only a few weeks away, the Cleveland Cavaliers are obvious sellers and could end up making multiple trades.

The NBA trade deadline is February 7, this is more than enough time for the Cleveland Cavaliers to finalize trades. There are multiple players with expiring contracts that contending teams could take a chance on to make that final push.

The obvious and sometimes forgotten name is J.R. Smith. Smith has been apart from the team for quite some time now. The team and Smith agreed mutually to part ways and facilitate a trade. Smith has one more year after this season on his deal for just over $15.6 million. Smith could be a nice bench piece for a team in need of three-point shooting. The only obstacle of course is the expensive contract.

As soon as Rodney Hood signed his one-year qualifying offer from the Cavaliers the trade rumors began. Hood struggled last season in Cleveland and needed to rebuild his value. The thought at the time was for Hood to sign the deal, play better and hopefully get moved to a contender before the deadline. So far, so good. Hood is much improved this season when compared to last year. There will be a market for Hood, the only question is what teams will give up for him.

Hood’s former Jazz teammate and current Cavaliers teammate Alec Burks has also popped up in trade rumors. Cleveland acquire Burks earlier this season and is drawing interest from numerous teams. Burks is playing better since putting on a Cavaliers uniform and in the right situation could continue his uptick in play.

J.R. Smith, Rodney Hood and Alec Burks could all be playing for different teams in a few short weeks. Cleveland has no real need to hang onto them and would be wise to consider getting something in return for players who can provide to more competitive teams.