Utah Jazz: Time for Trey Burke to Move On?
Although scenarios exists in which Trey Burke remains with the Utah Jazz, his days with the franchise are likely numbered.
Trey Burke was once an integral part of a young Utah Jazz team with aspirations of becoming a true contender. Two years later, he is on the verge of being traded because he is no longer contributing.
How did this happen? Where did the marriage between the former Wooden Award winner and the Jazz–a team in desperate need of point guard production–go wrong?
Burke was taken with the ninth pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and was immediately traded to the Jazz for 14th pick Shabazz Muhammad and 21st selection Gorgui Dieng.
Burke started in 68 games during his rookie season, which is incredibly tough to do with the league-wide dominance at point guard. Nevertheless, he did it in style, averaging 12.8 points and 5.7 assists per game; he quickly became a fan favorite with his ability to make shots from well behind the arc.
His second season was a bit of a letdown. He started the first 43 games of the season before Australian rookie Dante Exum took his starting role. Though it seemed Burke relished in his bench role, his contributions lessened. His shooting numbers didn’t match his perceived ability and defense was an issue.
Regardless, many expected Burke to regain his place at the starting point guard position when Exum tore his ACL in the summer before the 2015-16 season. But the Jazz instead looked straight past Burke, and at Brazilian rookie Raul Neto.
Despite Burke’s ranking as one of the best mid-range shooters in the NBA last season, he eventually fell out of the rotation altogether after the acquisition of Shelvin Mack at the trade deadline, remaining behind Neto on the depth chart.
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”Raul coming off the bench has given us a very steady defensive effort. As you know, that’s always been a priority for me,” said Jazz coach Quin Snyder at the time.
However, he did have his moments with his very limited court time. In his 12 minutes against Oklahoma City, he lit up the Thunder bench for 17 points in the fourth quarter, coming in when the Jazz were down by 21.
Still, with the Jazz expecting the return of a healthy Exum this fall and given the possibility of Utah taking another young point guard with their 12th pick in the upcoming NBA draft, the time has probably come for Burke to move on.
On the other hand, there is always the (slight) chance that the team doesn’t pick up Mack’s option and Burke finds himself being the number one option off the bench at point guard. As he did in the past, Snyder could look to balance out Exum’s stellar defense with Burke’s ability to flat-out score the basketball.
It’s more likely, though, that Burke’s days as a Jazzman are over.
Burke should want out of Utah for obvious reasons, court time being one of them. Staying with the Jazz could derail a potentially great career. He brings a lot to the table and has every right to move to a team that could use his services. He could also net the Jazz a nice return in a veteran player this offseason.
Hopefully, from a Jazz fan’s perspective, our home crowd won’t boo Burke when he comes to play in Utah like the fans did with Enes Kanter (I am not excusing any of Kanter’s actions). Burke always did right by the Jazz franchise and deserves a fresh start at another NBA team.
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Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference.