Warriors Trade Rumors: Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III Dealt to 76ers for 3 Picks

Scoring help is on the way for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers acquired small forward Glenn Robinson III and guard Alec Burks from the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday in exchange for three second-round picks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

They might not be done, either. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sixers are "are working on additional trades to create roster spots needed to add Burks and Robinson." If they don't make additional trades prior to the 3 p.m. trade deadline, they'll need to waive two players.

Rumors surrounding Robinson's potential move began swirling in mid-December as the journeyman took a leap with extended playing time in Golden State. Robinson is averaging 12.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.6 minutes per game this season, which is more than double what he averaged over the last three seasons. Burks, meanwhile, is averaging 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 29.0 minutes per game.

That's exactly the type of scoring support Philadelphia needs, especially as starting shooting guard Josh Richardson works his way back from a hamstring injury. 

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor first reported the Sixers' interest in Robinson in early January. 

Robinson was a late-second round draft pick in 2014 with plenty of potential but little progress to show for it prior to his arrival in Golden State. He spent less than a season in Minnesota as a rookie before the 76ers claimed him on waivers to finish the 2014-15 campaign.

The Indiana Pacers signed Robinson to a three-year deal during the 2015 offseason, and he averaged 5.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game across 137 appearances over those three seasons. After spending the 2018-19 season in Detroit, Robinson landed in Golden State, where he finally flourished while playing starter's minutes.

The Sixers can only hope that level of play carries over to Philadelphia.

Burks signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Warriors in July, which began looking like a steal as his production increased.

That made clubs take another look at the 28-year-old, who found a bit of success in Golden State after spending most of last season bouncing between Utah, Cleveland and Sacramento. This is the third time the guard has been traded.

After spending his first seven seasons with the Utah Jazz, Burks was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with two second-round picks for Kyle Korver in November 2018. Three months later, Burks was part of a three-team trade that sent him to the Sacramento Kings in a deal that included Wade Baldwin IV, Nik Stauskas, Iman Shumpert and Brandon Knight along with multiple draft picks. 

Rich Hofmann of The Athletic explained the potential reasoning for adding Burks at the deadline: 

"One of the best things about potentially acquiring Alec Burks is that his minimum salary doesn't force the Sixers to match with anything more than one of their players at the end of the roster. If Burks doesn't go for a first-round pick, the Sixers have a bunch of quality second-round selections that could win a bidding war. He's someone to look at precisely because acquiring the 28-year-old doesn't prevent the Sixers from making another move." 

Burks is scoring at the best clip in his career and should give Philadelphia valuable depth off the bench along with veteran experience. This may be a rental situation for the Sixers, but Burks has shown he's more than capable of shouldering the load when needed. He'll also give the Sixers a much-needed threat from behind the arc, as they have struggled to find outside shooting since JJ Redick's departure in free agency.