After spending one season with the Miami Heat, veteran guard Alec Burks said that he hopes to re-sign and continue his time in Miami.

During exit interviews with the media, Burks celebrated the Heat’s team-first approach and Erik Spoelstra’s coaching when discussing his season.

“I had a great year. I had a great time. I love everybody here,” Burks told reporters. “And 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.”

Alec Burks said he’d love to return to the Heat.

Burks signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum to join the Heat last summer. He was used sparingly for most of the season before emerging as a starter during the team’s final stretch. Burks averaged 7.3 points on 42.4% shooting overall (42.5% on 3s), 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He started in 14 of his 49 appearances.

The Jimmy Butler drama that derailed the season didn’t turn Burks away. In fact, he was impressed with how Spoelstra and Bam Adebayo handled the adversity and tried to keep the focus on basketball. It’s something that resonated with the no-nonsense Burks.

“I learned Spo can manage anything. Coach through anything,” Burks said. “We had a lot of things go on, and I feel like he did a great job of bringing the locker room together.”

Burks, 33, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has played for eight teams in his 14 seasons and could return to Miami for another year on another veteran minimum contract.

But the Heat have other, more pressing needs to sort through first. Can they acquire a star to raise the team’s ceiling? And which role players might have to go in order to retool around Adebayo and Tyler Herro? Only after addressing those bigger issues can the Heat move on to filling out the rest of the roster.

Burks is a low-maintenance and inexpensive option who is respected and well-liked in Miami. His return shouldn’t be ruled out, but the Heat have other priorities to attend to first.