When he agreed to terms with the Thunder, Alec Burks thought he was joining a winner. Instead, Oklahoma City has traded Paul George and Jerami Grant primarily for draft picks and is looking into trading Russell Westbrook.
So, Burks and the Thunder will go their separate ways.
Burks will now join another team, the Warriors, looking to trim payroll. That’s why Golden State is also trading Damian Jones to the Hawks for Omari Spellman.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Golden State is sending Damian Jones and a second-round pick to the Hawks for Spellman, league sources said. https://t.co/zESgVz2YKq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2019
Sources: After Paul George trade, Oklahoma City remained committed to its two veteran deals in Mike Muscala and Alec Burks and allowed both to re-evaluate their situations given the unanticipated change. Muscala will remain with the Thunder.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2019
Guard Alec Burks has agreed to a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, agent JR Hensley tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. “Alec was extremely appreciative about how the Thunder handled the situation and he’s looking forward to his new opportunity,” Hensley said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2019
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic:
This pick is in 2026 and unprotected. https://t.co/6cbeIhYui3
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 8, 2019
Golden State could use another shooting guard with Klay Thompson sidelined most of the season. But Burks hasn’t had a good season in half a decade. The Warriors shouldn’t expect much.
Ditto with Spellman, the No. 30 pick in last year’s draft. He has potential as a stretch five, but he must improve his conditioning.
Spellman’s salary ($1,897,800) is lower than Jones’ ($2,305,057). That’s important to hard-capped Golden State.
Atlanta will eagerly take the extra pick. Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk, who previously worked in the Warriors’ front office, might even have an attachment to Jones. Entering the final year of his rookie-scale contract, Jones just hasn’t shown ability to stay healthy long enough to produce, though.
