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As the Miami Heat waits on a resolution to the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, veteran guard Alec Burks will soon be working toward finding a resolution to his uncertain NBA future. Burks, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason after proving to be a helpful veteran in his first season with the Heat this past season, hopes to strike a deal to return to Miami. He signed a one-year veteran minimum contract with the Heat last summer and again will likely need to settle for a minimum deal to re-sign with the Heat this summer. “The only thing I’m looking at is coming back here,” Burks said of his desire to return to the Heat in free agency during a Tuesday appearance to interact and take photos with young campers at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp at Cooper City High School. “Everything else is what it is.”
The upshot for the Heat last season with the well-traveled Burks were 18 games scoring in double figures, including a pair of 20-point games, as well as a career-best .425 on 3-pointers. “When my time was called, I tried to make the most of my opportunities and show the young guys, like you can play this role and be professional about it,” Burks said during his exit interview, now a month away from again returning to free agency.
Amid a Heat season of drama, the soft-spoken Burks was a calming contrast to the chaos, his postgame interviews among the briefest on the roster. “I had a great year. I had a great time,” he said in the wake of the Heat suffering the worst playoff-series blowout in NBA history. “Everybody from the top to the bottom, like I loved everybody here. It was a good year. I learned a lot. Even though I’m in my 14th year, I still learned something, so I’m glad I was here. Hopefully I can come back.”
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Ira Winderman: Heat injury updates for tonight vs. 76ers: Bam Adebayo (back spasms): Out Andrew Wiggins (hamstring tendinopathy): Out Tyler Herro (thigh contusion): Available. Alec Burks (lower-back discomfort): Available. Haywood Highsmith (Achilles soreness): Questionable.
Anthony Chiang: Heat remains without Duncan Robinson, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Kevin Love and Dru Smith for tomorrow’s game vs. Wizards. Alec Burks is probable with lower back discomfort.
Heat win fourth straight behind Tyler Herro’s 30-point night in Philadelphia
For now, for the first time in a long time, the Miami Heat are feeling like winners, with Saturday night’s 118-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center extending the winning streak to four, matching the longest of the season for Erik Spoelstra’s team. Granted, this latest decision against the carcass of what remains of the 76ers hardly was a statement win. But for a team that a week ago was mired in a 10-game losing streak, you take it and move on for a Monday night game against the league-worst Washington Wizards. So even with Andrew Wiggins sidelined, the Heat continued this late-season revival, fueled by 30 points from Tyler Herro, a season-high 20 from Alec Burks and a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double from Kel’el Ware.
Ira Winderman: Alec Burks (back) available for Heat tonight. Out: Andrew Wiggins (hamstring), Duncan Robinson (back), Nikola Jovic (hand), Kevin Love (personal), Dru Smith (Achilles). Everyone else available in Philadelphia.
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Tim Reynolds: Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Love, Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic are all out for the Heat tomorrow (none of them traveled), and Alec Burks is questionable. Wiggins and Robinson may join the trip at a later date.
Barry Jackson: Burks out for Heat tonight vs Memphis; Keshad Johnson and Isaiah Stevens sent to G-League... Ja Morant questionable for Grizzlies, who lost at home to Mitchell-less Cavs last night. Both teams playing 2nd night of back to back. Tip shortly after 8 p.m. tonight in Tennessee
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