Amid all the Kevin Durant scuttlebutt, the Miami Heat still have some decisions to make regarding a pair of their impending free agents, Alec Burks and Davion Mitchell.
Mitchell, 26, is a restricted free agent for the first time in his career and could command near the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, which is roughly $14 million. There aren’t very many teams that have cap space, but that shouldn’t disway certain teams from sending an offer sheet if the Heat aren’t able to re-up him by free agency, which begins June 30 at 6 p.m. EST.
The other is Burks, who signed a one-year minimum with the Heat last season. He was the quintessential role player off the bench for the Heat, appearing in 49 of the Heat’s 82 games, including 14 starts. Burks, who turns 34-years-old in July, wants to return to Miami as well.
“The only thing I’m looking at is coming back here,” Burks said Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “Everything else is what it is. … I like the city. The city shows me a lot of love and my family, I like the organization, everybody I work with. It’s just a great place to be for this stage of my career. I like being here.”
He averaged 7.3 points on 42.4 percent shooting, including a career-best 42.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.2 triple tries per game. He attempted 76 percent of his attempts from distance, nearly 20 percentage points higher than his previous career high. It would be difficult to expect another hyper-efficient season from Burks, but he’s a career 38.6 percent 3-point shooter and was always a net-positive when he was on the floor.
The one-year veteran minimum for the 14-year veteran will be worth roughly $3.6 million in 2025-26; a mult-year minimum would cost roughly $7.4 million through 2026-27, Burks’ age-35 season.
There is always room for a quality locker room presence, which Burks is. Do you want the Heat to bring him back? Let us know in the comments!
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Absolutely! He:s like Mitchell…a no brainer. Alec is ike getting Robinson for less than 20% of the salary…plus, he is a better defender.
A solid roleplayer who’s willing to take the veteran minimum? It’s not even a question. If we want a third all-star caliber player to put next to Bam and Tyler, we’ll need a few more like Alec Burks, too.