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2018 NBA Free Agency: Deonte Burton inks two-way deal with Thunder

By Rylan Stiles

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 10: Iowa State Cyclones guard Deonte Burton (30) during the Big 12 Tournament semi-final game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Iowa State Cyclones on March 10, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Iowa State defeated TCU 84-63 (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 10: Iowa State Cyclones guard Deonte Burton (30) during the Big 12 Tournament semi-final game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Iowa State Cyclones on March 10, 2017 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Iowa State defeated TCU 84-63 (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Sam Presti made another smaller move in NBA Free Agency inking Deonte Burton to a two-way contract with the OKC Thunder.

The OKC Thunder tipped off their Summer League on Friday. This tournament offers a chance for players to prove their worth and earn a contract. Deonte Burton did just that.

Deonte Burton is participating for the OKC Thunder summer league team. It usually takes more than one game for a player to earn his way onto the roster, and this move coming so soon leads me to believe that a contract was in the works for a while.

Burton didn’t really impress in the Summer League opener. The 6’8 position-less player turned in two points and four assists offensively. However, on the defensive end he pulled down eight rebounds, and collected two steals while swatting a pair of shots.

Two-way Deal:

With Deonte Burton signing thisa two-way deal he is someone to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the summer.

On a two-way deal Burton has a chance to play 45-games for the OKC Thunder. While he probably will not reach that mark, he will almost certainly see a game or two. Daniel Hamilton and P.J. Dozier were both on two-way deals last season. Dozier logged minutes in two-contests for the Thunder while Hamilton was involved in six OKC tilts.

Deonte Burton played college ball in the Big 12, so OKC fans might remember him from his Iowa State days when he helped the cyclones contend for conference championships–before ultimately losing the title race to Kansas like every other Big 12 program for the past 14-years.

Post College experience:

After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, he took his talents to Korea to play ball for the Wonju DB Promy squad. In Korea, Burton played very well, even winning best performer in the KBL tournament round of 35.

Following his time at Iowa State, and going undrafted, Burton played with the Timberwolves during last years NBA Summer League. The swingman totaled 14-points, 3-steals, 10-rebounds for the T-Wolves in five games.

Sadly, like some other NBA players Deonte Burton has dealt with depression. Former-OKC Thunder forward Josh Huesits battled depression. Many other NBA players, as notable as Kevin Love, and DeMar DeRozan have opened up publicly about their own battles, and the importance of Mental Health.

His story is one that many in Oklahoma can get behind. A hard worker, who has been overlooked, dealt with adversity, but keeps trying and keeps moving forward. That toughness and resiliency paid off.

Next: Complete NBA Free Agency primer for all 30 teams

Whether you see him in the Cox convention center playing for the OKC Blue, or Chesapeake Energy Arena with the Thunder, he will be giving his all.

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