Report: Oklahoma City Thunder Interested in Trading for Alec Burks

The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to trade Alec Burks by Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, with the Houston Rockets reportedly the most likely destination.

However, one new report indicates that the Oklahoma City Thunder also have Burks on their radar.

Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net indicated that the limited time frame remaining is one factor that could work against the Thunder’s chances of making the acquisition:

“The Oklahoma City Thunder are among the teams with interest in Cavaliers shooting guard Alec Burks, though it’s not known if the sides will be able to pull off a deal before Thursday’s trade deadline.”

The 6-foot-6 Burks will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Amico pointed to that as another potential roadblock to a deal between the Cavs and Thunder:

“The Thunder have a trade exception worth $10.88 million. Burks’ expiring contract is $11.5 million, so a deal may be difficult.”

Besides the Rockets and Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors are also reportedly in the mix of other teams interested in Burks. The 27-year-old veteran was acquired by the Cavaliers in late November from the Utah Jazz in the Kyle Korver deal.

In his 33 games for the Cavaliers, Burks is averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. The two latter numbers represent career-high numbers for the veteran.