Knicks Trade Rumors: Trey Burke on the Block; Lakers, Warriors, Nets Speculated

The New York Knicks are shopping point guard Trey Burke ahead of the Feb. 7 trade deadline in hopes of landing a second-round pick.

Marc Berman of the New York Post speculated the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets could have some level of interest in Burke. The Lakers and Nets suffered injuries to Lonzo Ball and Spencer Dinwiddie, respectively, and could use some help in the rotation. The Warriors are a bit of a stretch given the presence of Quinn Cook and Shaun Livingston.

Burke is averaging 11.6 points and 2.9 assists per game this season but has been out of the rotation for most of the last two months. An injury to Emmanuel Mudiay got him off the bench in Friday's loss to Brooklyn, where he had 25 points and five assists. Burke will likely continue to get minutes as the Knicks showcase him for a potential trade.

“It is hard,’’ Burke said of being out of the rotation. “We’re human. You want to play and you find yourself outside the lineup, you can do two things. You can mope and pout about it. Or you try to figure out getting better for when you’re opportunity come back around.

“You start [trade] scenarios that’s not actually going on. It’s not the present, not where I’m at. Everyone I’ve spoken to knows I want to be a New York Knick. But it’s the nature of the business if it doesn’t work out. I’m not saying it won’t work out here, but I think the last couple of weeks it has been difficult putting things in perspective. Am I going to be here in the long-term picture? But I snap out of it because it’s out of my control.’’

Burke was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, previously spending time with the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. The Knicks signed him midway through last season and thrust him into the rotation, essentially reviving his career in one fell swoop.

Burke hasn't quite replicated his production from last season, and he remains a minus on the defensive end. 

“It’s not something I’m thinking about a lot,” Burke said. “As a basketball player, you look at other scenarios. How I’d fit in other scenarios, in that system, in that situation. But I think the direction of this organization, I want to be part of that. I know that there’s still a lot I have to prove. That’s fine with me. I knew coming into the organization, taking the G-League route [last season] instead of going to [Oklahoma City], it wasn’t going to be easy.”

Burke will be a free agent this offseason, so any team that signs him will only have a few months to see whether he's a long-term fit.