Alec Burks Agrees To Four-Year, $42 Million Extension
Friday, October 31 is the deadline for extending players who were selected in the 2011 NBA Draft. Without a contract extension, said players will become restricted free agents during the summer of 2015.
The Utah Jazz didn’t let that happen with their 2011 lottery pick.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Jazz have agreed to a new deal with shooting guard Alec Burks.
Yahoo Sources: The Utah Jazz's Alec Burks has reached agreement on a four-year, $42 million extension. http://t.co/nxTWC7JnNf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2014
With incentives, the deal could reach $45 million.
With reachable incentives, Alec Burks' deal with the Jazz could climb to $45 million, sources told Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2014
Burks is the furthest thing from a household name, but he’s well on his way towards becoming one.
The 23-year-old has started the 2014-15 season strong, scoring 18 points in the first game and 15 in the second. What he’s done in 2014-15 isn’t the reason for the contract, however, as Burks has earned this new deal over his first three seasons.
Selected No. 12 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, Burks was a star scorer for the Colorado Buffaloes in college. The Jazz, in desperate need of perimeter scorers, selected him with the hope that he’d become a similarly lethal player in the Western Conference.
So far, so good.
In 2013-14, Burks averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.9 steals in 28.1 minutes of action. He tallied a slash line of .457/.350/.748 and improved with every growing opportunity.
After the 2014 All-Star Break, Burks upped his numbers to 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steal on a slash line of .479/.352/.741.
As an efficient scorer with game-breaking quickness, Burks is perfectly suited to be a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate. He also has the upside to become the team’s starting shooting guard as a relentless scorer who can take any opponent off the bounce.
Even Kobe Bryant can attest to that.
If nothing else, that play raised Burks’ profile.
In 2014-15, Burks will be a key scoring presence in Utah’s crowded backcourt. Trey Burke and Dante Exum both have a claim to being the franchise player, but they can also switch to the 2 with either size or shooting ability on their side.
While Burke and Exum battle with uncertainty, Burks has the one thing that every player dreams of: job security.