Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks has been ruled out for the rest of the season after being told that he will need surgery to repair a shoulder injury.

Burks, who signed a four-year contract extension in October, has missed the past two games with the shoulder problem, and Utah's medical staff have decided that an operation will be needed to give him the best chance of making a full recovery.

"Alec's long-term health has been our top priority throughout this process, and although it is unfortunate that we will be without his services on the court the rest of this season, we commend Alec's commitment and continued effort to play through considerable pain to this point," revealed Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey.

"After continued consultation with our medical staff, Alec and his representation, we have unanimously agreed that it would be most prudent for Alec to have this procedure performed now in order to ensure that he will be healthy and ready for the start of next season."

Burks was averaging 13.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game this season before he picked up the injury.