5 Potential Timberwolves free agent targets with ties to Rudy Gobert

1. Alec Burks

Nowhere near the most accomplished, yet the best player on the list, former Utah guard Alec Burks remains an explosive scorer at 32 years old. Burks averaged 20.5 points per 36 minutes this past season. The veteran guard canned 124 triples and knocked down 145 free throws splitting time between Detroit and New York.

It's been quite some time since the athletic swingman and Gobert donned the same color uniforms. The former Jazz pairing spent half the 2018-19 season together before Burks was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for the sharpshooting Kyle Korver.

All in all, the duo appeared in 186 games together. Although Burks has played 13 seasons in the associations, he's only averaged about 57 appearances per season—limiting his court time with Gobert during their tenure in Salt Lake City.

Now, Burks isn't as injury-prone as he once was, but expecting the 6-foot-5 guard to appear in more than 70 games is a longshot. Over the past five seasons, Burks has only hit the hardwood more than 70 times once—in 2021-22.

He may not be the most reliable player at this with a lengthy injury history at 32 years old, nevertheless, he's a valuable addition to any second unit because of his premier shot-making. This past season, Burks' field goal attempts were nearly split down the middle from two and three-point range. Furthermore, he held a pretty high free throw rate of 29.3 percent.

The former Utah swingman excels at getting to the line, pulling up from the mid-range, and spotting up from distance. He's a talented all-around scorer. Where Burks doesn't provide the utmost value is his defense. Burks possesses an athletic, long frame, yet defenders shot better from the field when defended by the Colorado product.

Different from the other players mentioned, Burks is a go-to scorer. Sure, he won't average 15-plus points per game at this juncture. But he is a microwave scorer who can get hot when Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns are off the floor.