Boston Celtics: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently rumored targets

Rumored target No. 3) Alec Burks

Last, but certainly not least we have Alec Burks, a man who turned a calendar year of such sorrow and despair into one that he can look back one and claim to have been an individual success.

Since being selected 12th overall back in the 2011 NBA Draft, the shooting guard has struggled to find consistent minutes within his respective team’s rotation. Be it injury-plagued seasons or, simply, inconsistent production, Burks’ talents have found themselves bouncing all across the map, starting in Utah then to Cleveland then to two stops in California (Sacramento and Golden State) then, most recently, in Philadelphia.

His final landing spot in the “Golden State” was this season with the Warriors, where he managed to put forth some of the best basketball of his entire career. Through 48 games, the wing boasted impressive averages of 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 41 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent shooting from deep.

Traded to the Sixers at the deadline, Burks, though in a smaller role, managed to continue his high level of play off the pine and gave the team an extra scoring punch moving forward.

Now, after Boston’s sweep over Philadelphia, the 29-year-old finds himself heading into free agency looking for a solid payday because, frankly, he earned it.

This right here is the main reason why the Celtics should not pursue him: he’ll likely cost too much money.

With three first-round draft picks on the horizon, they’d likely be better off looking to add incoming rookies to help bolster their scoring punch within the second unit.

Verdict: Pass